Reign in New Orleans
by Light-and-Smoke
Summary: What if it was Caroline that Klaus picked out of the debris to be his new protégée all those years ago? Klaus is now back in New Orleans, but his former queen is not content to relinquish her new title. 'I'm the king.' A cross between The Originals and The Vampire Diaries. Klaroline and the Original family.
1. Chapter 1

_"What if it was Caroline Klaus picked up out of the debris and raised her as his own, a handful of centuries ago? Taught her in all the arts __imaginable; though patience proved to be difficult as Caroline, created in his image, never took 'no' for an answer. The streets of the quarter are now crushed underneath the throd of her black high heels. And when that Hybrid - once a father to her, a superior, her God - returned and had the audacity to call her a queen, she sneered right back into his face: 'Not a Queen'. Oh no, never a queen. She made sure of that. A leader to some. A suppressor to others. But never a queen. Queens didn't make it into history with success. 'I'm the King'." - madampuddifootsteashop (link in the authors note)_

* * *

_She watched with her eyes wide and unblinking, fear shooting through her body and freezing her in her tracks. She couldn't move. She felt like she couldn't breathe. All she could do was watch as the four family members she thought were her saviors turned into hell demons_**_. _**_Their eyes darkened__ and webbed with black veins, teeth extended into fangs that tore into __the __people's throats. Their victims made no sound __as requested__, and for some reason they did everything they were told to do by those four frightening family members.  
She had thought she would be safe. Was she wrong?_

"_There's no need to be afraid." The tallest one, Elijah, called out to her as he sensed her fear. He was the honorable one, she knew that. He carefully lowered his prey until they were seated again, before slowly approaching her, wiping his mouth to catch the traces of red that lingered there._

"_We trust you, darling." The blonde lady, Rebekah, soothed her with equal measure. She smiled reassuringly at the younger girl before sinking her teeth into the neck of her victim again._

_She turned back to Elijah, panting rapidly with fright._

"_Don't scare her, Bekah." The younger brother, Kol teased. It was almost comforting how he still remained his mischievous self even as he progressed into monsterly behavior._

"_She needs to learn." Said the man who had saved her, the middle brother who they all turned to. Klaus. He surfaced from his drinking with a satisfied sigh, letting the body drop gracelessly to the floor._

"_Don't be a beast." Rebekah scoffed._

"_Niklaus, your manners are, as always, without equal." Elijah shot his brother a disapproving look, still approaching the girl. Klaus held out a hand to still Elijah, striding over to the girl himself and crouching down till he was at eye level with her._

"_This is who we are, love. And one day, this could be what you become." He held her gaze. "Are you ready for that?"_

_She locked her trembling jaw, a determined look crossing her features. "Yes."_

.

"Welcome to the dark side of New Orleans." A tour guide announced to a group as they milled down the sidewalk. "A supernatural playground where the living are easily lost, and the dead stick around to play."

Klaus watched the wide eyed tourists take everything in as they passed by him snapping up shots of the street and the culture with their iPhones. He shook his head. The trivial ways that human kind had progressed over the last century. Sure, they had their technology, but where was the art and culture of the past few hundred years? Left to rot while they gorged themselves on the bubblegum pop that was todays culture. It amused and disgusted him simultaneously. He made his way through the crowded marketplace towards the witch he had been observing for the past hour. She was the key to finding what he was looking for.

The woman glanced up and looked straight at him, like a bird sensing its predator was about to pounce. Her fear was eminent as she scrambled to pack up her things.

Klaus sauntered over and sat down before she had even managed to put four candles in her box.

"Good afternoon." He nodded politely. "Time for one more?"

The woman clearly didn't feel like exchanging pleasantries. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Oh, now that's not very amiable, is it?" Klaus tsked. "You don't even know me."

"I know _what_ you are." The woman gritted. "Half-vampire, half-beast. You're the hybrid."

Klaus smiled, pleased that his reputation still proceeded him. "I'm the Original hybrid, actually, but that's a long story for another time." And he was proud of it too. It had taken a thousand years to track down that doppelganger to Mystic Falls, and even more of a struggle with the Salvatore brothers to complete the sacrifice. But as far as he was concerned, everyone seemed to be fine in the end.

He was the Original hybrid and that girl - Elena - had somehow irritatingly survived with the help of her witch friend Bonnie. At least he had managed to acquire a few pints of her blood until the Salvatores had swept in, saved the day, and yet _still_ managed to lose the girl when his sister Rebekah caused Elena's car to crash and consequentially turn the doppelganger into a vampire. The Salvatores got to squabble over Elena for the rest of eternity, and Klaus still had some doppelganger blood set aside for a rainy day when he needed more hybrids.

But it still was a long story for another time.

"I'm looking for someone- a witch. Perhaps you might be able to help me find her. Jane-Anne Deveraux."

The woman's face paled considerably. "Sorry. I don't know." She attempted at a monotone.

Klaus smirked. "Well, now that's a fib, isn't it? Now, you see, I know that you're a true witch amongst this sea of poseurs, so enough with the fabrications. I've quite a temper."

The woman frowned at him. "Witches don't talk outta school in the Quarter. The vampire won't allow it. Those are the rules. I don't break Caroline's rules."

His easy mood vanished in a flash. "Caroline's rules? Where do you suppose I might find Caroline?"

.

Caroline hopped down from the stage to join her companions at the bar. Jones handed her a shot, which she accepted with a smile, downing it to their cheers. As she returned the shot glass to the bar top, she sensed eyes intently following her every move. Caroline glanced over to the door to find Klaus staring at her, hands clasped behind his back. Her friends fell silent as they noticed her diverted attention.

"Klaus." Caroline greeted him cautiously.

"Caroline." He said with a faintly fond lilt.

"Must be a hundred years since I saw you last." She noted.

"Has it been that long?" Klaus quipped with a wry smile.

Caroline strolled towards Klaus with the grace of a lioness. "As I recall, your papa ran you out of town. Left a trail of dead vampires in his wake."

"And yet how fortunate you managed to survive, love." Klaus raised his eyebrows, walking towards her with the same leisurely pace. "My father, I'm afraid, I recently incinerated to dust."

Caroline shrugged. Her companions took that as a sign to stand and form around her, not too close, but there as a warning, strength in numbers behind their leader.

"Well, if I'd have known you were coming back to New Orleans, Klaus…"

"What?" Klaus asked, his voice low and dangerous. "What would you have done?"

Caroline held his gaze levelly, her face a blank canvas. "I'd have thrown you a damn parade." She finally said with a smile.

Klaus returned her grin. Caroline eased the tension with her melodic laughter.

"Niklaus Mikaelson. My mentor, my savior, my sire." She regarded him fondly before nodding her head towards the bar. "Lets get you a drink."

The bartender passed her a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, and Caroline led Klaus to a more secluded room in the back of the bar. Her companions sat themselves back down and carried on as usual, save for the two that followed.

"Marcel, Thierry, wait outside the door and amuse yourselves." Caroline said to the pair. "Klaus and I have some catching up to do." The two men nodded to her and she gestured for Klaus to sit. He did so with the air of a king, causing Caroline to frown slightly but replace the expression with a smile before her sire could catch it.

"It is good to see you." She said as she sat opposite him and poured a generous amount of the amber liquid into the tumblers.

"It's good to be home." Klaus replied with a sigh. "Although please tell me the current state of Bourbon Street is not your doing."

Caroline laughed. "Oh, something has to draw in the tourists. Otherwise we'd all go hungry."

"Ah yes." He raised his eyebrows. "Are you still limiting your intake? Still on the path of redemption?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I don't limit myself, I know when to stop. Elijah taught me that." She smiled fondly. "How is your brother?"

"Self righteous as usual." Klaus savored the liquor, telling Caroline without words that he didn't want to talk about Elijah.

"Well some of us have to be. Still going on your usual blood benders?"

"Yes."

"Still terrorizing the villagers?"

"Yes."

"No questions for me?"

"Just one."

Caroline raised a brow.

"For now." Klaus amended with a smirk. "I see your friends are daywalkers."

She knew he would spot the rings. "I shared the secret of the Mikaelson daylight ring with a few of my close companions. Just the inner circle though, the family." She eyed him curiously. "But that's not the question, is it?"

"How did you find a witch willing to make daylight rings?" He asked.

Caroline knew he was up to something. "I got the witches here wrapped around my pinkie." She said, holding up the mentioned finger before dipping it in her drink and bringing it to her lips.

Klaus chuckled. "Is that so?" He asked darkly.

"I thought you only had one question." She retorted.

"Then make it two." He said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm looking for a witch by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux. She has some business with me."

Caroline exhaled. "You're looking for Jane-Anne." She smiled at Thierry and Marcel through the doorway. "Then you probably should come with me." She stood in her high heeled Prada boots and downed her drink. "Hope you're ready for a show."

.

They walked out into the street where the sun was swiftly setting. Caroline's lackeys fell in place behind her. As they continued, more began roaming the streets with increasing displays of supernatural abilities. Klaus glanced with the barest amount of interest. Caroline didn't even acknowledge them.

"Forgot to ask about dear Rebekah." She said as if their family conversation had never finished in the bar.

"She loathes me." Klaus replied.

"What else is new?" Caroline scoffed.

Klaus cracked a smile.

"And Kol?" She continued.

"Still wreaking havoc in a small town in Virginia." He glanced at her. "You'd have a field day if he came here."

"Nonsense." Caroline replied with a cheeky smile. "I could use a little rough housing with Kol."

"If it's rough housing that you need, I'm sure I could do a far better job." Klaus said slyly, glancing sideways at her.

She avoided his gaze, secretly worried about how it might affect her. "Perhaps. I'll bet that Kol would argue over who is best at pleasing a lady, but I'm sure we'll see in good time."

"I thought we already did." Klaus said, and she bit her lip.

"Oh, I don't know. It's been a hundred years."

"Then I'll have to prove myself." He said in a low voice that sent a shiver of anticipation up her spine. She exhaled, trying to let go of the emotions that clung to her. No. She would not fall for this. She was stronger than this.

"Are Rebekah and Elijah with you? We could have a big family reunion." Caroline returned to the topic.

"Rebekah is traipsing about Europe with some boy."

"Of course." Caroline nodded. "But Elijah?"

"Who knows?"

"Then since you're guaranteed to be here, I hope you find your stay here enjoyable." She said warmly. "And remember, what's mine is yours. You should consider yourself my honored guest." Her colder message was clear: _you're staying, but you'll also be leaving._

"Are these your guests too?" Klaus gestured to the riffraff of vampires that reveled in their new powers, leaping from roof to roof.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Don't mind them. There's no need for anyone to be subtle here in the Quarter."

They rounded a corner where a mob had gathered in the street, and Caroline placed her fingers to her mouth to pitch a high whistle. The vampires cheered in response. She egged them on as she stripped a branch off one of the nearby trees.

A woman was shuffled forward from the crowd with her hands bound by rope.

"Jane-Anne Deveraux." Caroline greeted her, walking to the middle of the circle that had gathered around as if it were her god-given right. Klaus watched with calculating eyes from the edge of the circle.

"You have been accused of the practice of witchcraft beyond the bounds of the rules set forth, and enforced, by me. How do you plead?"

Jane-Anne stood silent.

"C'mon, Jane." Caroline cajoled, pacing back and forth in front of the witch with a carefree air. "You know how this goes. How do you plead?"

"I didn't do anything." Jane-Anne gritted out.

The crowd jeered and Caroline smirked.

"Well that's a lie. You know it's a lie. I know it's a lie. And you _hate_ that I know it. It just burns you that I'm aware of every move made by every witch in this town. It drives you crazy that you can't do magic without being caught." Caroline flashed a grin in Klaus' direction and he started to realize this was all being directed at him. It wasn't just any show of power, it was a show of power against _him_.

"So why don't we cut to the chase." Caroline faced the witch again. "You tell me what you're up to, and I'll grant you leniency. I'm a merciful girl, after all. Just tell me."

If looks could kill, Jane-Anne's eyes would have set Caroline aflame. "Rot in hell, bitch."

Caroline's award-winning smile shrank a few molars. "Oh dear, that wasn't the answer I was looking for." She whipped the branch in her hand in a sudden striking motion, and Jane-Annes throat was slashed. The witch gagged, clutching at her neck with her bound hands as her lifes blood poured out of her.

"You know the rules." Caroline reminded her as she collapsed to the ground. The night-walkers cheered. Caroline walked back through the crowd with a self-satisfied smirk, accepting the cheers with barely a nod of thanks.

"What was that?" Klaus growled, appearing next to her shoulder.

Caroline motioned for him to walk a few paces away from the crowd, and he followed, much to his displeasure.

"The witches aren't allowed to do magic here." She clarified for him. "She broke the rules."

"I told you I wanted to talk to her." Klaus snapped.

Caroline bit her tongue against the anger welling up inside her. Did he seriously think that she would answer to him still? But she knew she had to play her cards right. "I got caught up in the show. The witches still think they have power in New Orleans – I have to show them that they don't. You taught me to never waste an opportunity for a show of force."

Klaus still looked unmoved. His jaw clenched as he stared Caroline down.

She compromised. "I'll find out whatever it was that you needed from her."

Klaus glanced away, back to the crowd, and she knew he was replaying the whole scene, looking for a loophole. She knew him too well, and that would be his downfall.

"Well, whatever it was, it doesn't matter anymore." Klaus said, and the issue was apparently passed over – but Caroline knew better. Still she beamed at him.

"Great. Now, lets eat. I might be 'repressed' as you say, but all that blood still makes me hungry."

"I'll be along. Run along, baby vampire." Klaus shot her a look through his long eyelashes that she remembered well. It was a look that had once made her blood boil with lust back when she had needed the air in her lungs and when her days were limited. But she was older now, and a new kind of monster, and she steeled herself against his dark seductive gaze.

"I'll find you later then, Nik." Caroline reminded him, the nickname slipping easily off her tongue.

He strolled off into the crowd with ease and Caroline watched him go. "Tony, Dan," She called, never taking her eyes off Klaus' retreating back. "I think Klaus needs a guide or two. Follow our old friend."

.

It was only a matter of time before the witches came to pay their respects to the dearly departed, as Caroline knew they would.

"Ah Sophie." She greeted the witch with a smile. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up. Although, this street corner hasn't proven to be the luckiest for the Deveraux's tonight."

"I get that you like a show, Caroline, but did you have to kill her?" Sophie asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Caroline was unmoved. "We had to teach your sister a little lesson. You know the rules just as well as I do."

"Then let us put her to rest. Leave us alone."

Caroline shook her head slowly. "I never said you could move her. I left her here for a reason. A message to all of you." She raised her voice to speak to the witches gathered behind Sophie. "If anyone is thinking of joining some sort of rebellion, just remember that I know when any of you practice any kind of unlawful magic. Food for thought." The blonde turned her attention to Sophie again. "Now, if you'd be so kind, I have few questions for you Sophie. My dear friend, the hybrid called Klaus, just happened to show up asking for your sister of all people. _Why_?"

"I don't know." Sophie replied hollowly. "Witches don't get involved with vampires."

Caroline studied her. "That would be a stupid idea if they did." She sighed. "Alright then, run along." She nodded to Marcel and Thierry. "Take the body."

"No!" Sophie shouted, moving forward, and within an instant she was held back by two vampires. "Caroline, please – "

"No need to stress, Sophie." Caroline said soothingly as she walked away. "Your sister is merely going to be our guest until you can remember why Klaus is here."

"Her body wont be at peace!" Sophie shouted.

"Not my problem." She sang back over her shoulder.

.

"Here we have the crown jewel of the Crescent city, the French Quarter." Sabine announced to the group of tourists she was taking around the city. "Jazz and jambalaya, romance, poetry, not to mention the things that go bump in the night. Monsters that feed off human blood, vengeful spirits of the dead, and my personal favorite, the witches." She gestured towards the witches shop. "Here we have the voodoo shop, Jardin Gris. Go on, browse for a hex."

The excited tourists milled into the shop as she held the door open for them. She paused before she entered the shop, sensing a presence behind her.

"Are you going to continue following me, Elijah, or do you want to talk?"

Elijah stood on the pavement, one hand casually tucked into his the pocket of his immaculate suit. "You know who I am."

Sabine folded her arms. "Original vampire, always wears a suit. You and your family are famous amongst the witches, especially with your brother back in town."

"Well, Niklaus is here because he learned that a witch was conspiring against him." He watched her carefully. "Someone by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux."

Sabine's pained eyes gave her away. "Well, if he's looking for Jane-Anne, he's a little late."

Elijah's eyes narrowed. "Are you telling me she's dead?"

She pursed her lips, glancing towards the shop. Katie caught her eye from the counter and nodded. Sabine glanced back at Elijah. "Come on. Her sister Sophie's going to want to talk to you."

The pair quickly made their way through the streets. However, there was something wrong as they arrived on the designated street corner. They were too late. Elijah's keen eyes picked out a bloodstain on the road, but no body.

"They've moved her." Sabine murmured.

"Who are 'they'?" Elijah asked. "Please tell me that my brother had nothing to do with this."

"No." Sabine clarified. "Jane-Anne died because she got caught doing magic. And that goes against Caroline's rules."

Elijah's head snapped up. "Caroline?"

"Things have changed since your family left town. Caroline has changed."

"I refuse to believe that." He said adamantly.

"Ask her yourself." Sabine challenged. "She's apparently living in the same manor your family set up as home 300 years ago."

Elijah frowned, taking in the new information. "First, the sister. Sophie. Where is she?"

Sabine sighed. "Probably back at the bar. She's responsible for keeping the tourists and locals fed with the best gumbo around."

.

"_You mean to tell me, after all these years, Caroline is alive and well?"_ Rebekah said indignantly, trying to remain emotionless at the mention of the woman she had considered a sister in centuries past.

"Quite." Elijah said as he walked along the streets towards Rousseau's. "Our brother seems to have wandered into a war zone. And I haven't found him yet. Caroline, who Klaus sired and brought up beneath his own wing, now reigns over a menagerie of savage vampires running wild. She has created her own rules for them to follow, but it has come at a price. Witches are held in subjugation. I doubt Niklaus had any idea what he was walking into."

"_Sorry, what was that?"_ Rebekah droned, sensing another call to family arms. _"I stopped paying attention at 'our brother'."_

Elijah sighed. "Rebekah – "

"_Our hateful, traitorous, bastard of a brother, who's negated any sympathy I once had for him by his repeated efforts to ensure neither you nor I know happiness outside of his own selfish universe."_ Rebekah growled.

"Always and forever, Rebekah." Elijah reminded her. "That is what we once swore to each other."

Rebekah sniffed. _"Consider this me calling take-backs."_

"Well, you've called take-backs dozens of times over the centuries and yet when our father found us and chased us from this very city – "

"_I may be old, Elijah, but I'm hardly senile." _She snapped. _"I know very well. I stuck with Klaus, and not three years later he stuck a silver dagger in my chest and sent me into a magical slumber for ninety years. Do you know why? Because I had the audacity to try and live my life on my own without him."_

"Enough." Elijah said, his voice like thunder, and Rebekah knew she had pushed him too far. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I believe our brother is in trouble, so whatever is going on between Caroline and the witches, it's dire enough that they would risk bringing an Original back to town. The witches have lured him here. I would like to know why."

Rebekah's scoff was the last thing he heard before he hung up the phone, storming the rest of the walk to the bar in seething silence.

.

Sophie turned with a gasp. She settled herself with a frown at the Original who had appeared at the bar.

"You're Klaus."

"I am." He confirmed, noting the unshed tears that lingered in her eyes. "And you're upset. Sophie, isn't it? I assume this is because of what I just witnessed with your sister on the corner of Royal and St. Ann?"

"Did you enjoy the show?" She snapped.

"It was a little melodramatic for my tastes." Klaus admitted with an almost fond smirk. "But that's Caroline for you. What did your sister want with me? Why did Caroline kill her?"

Sophie eyed him suspiciously, then glanced at the bar behind him. "I see you brought friends."

Klaus turned to look at them, then glanced back at Sophie. "They're not with me."

"No. They're with Caroline. That's all that matters." She sighed. "I know you might have built this town, but this is her town now. She killed Jane-Anne because my sister broke the rules. So if I talk to you in front of them, then I'm next."

She slapped the rag down on the counter and stormed off through the kitchen doors. Klaus shrugged to himself and walked over to the men that she had deemed as 'Caroline's'. He gripped their shoulders tight enough to feel the bones bend a little under his hands.

"Are you two gentlemen following me?" Klaus asked pleasantly.

"Caroline said we're your guides."

Klaus scoffed. "Of course she did. Well then, let me be exceedingly clear about something: if either of you follow me again, you'll do so without the benefit of a spine."

He felt their bones fracture slightly and both men hissed.

"If dear Caroline wants to know what I'm up to, she can ask me herself." He growled, before storming off outside. He'd get to Sophie later. He had bigger issues to deal with. Namely the girl he had turned a hundred years ago.

Sophie stepped out into the back alley and the cool night air. She'd had enough. It hadn't even begun to get ugly yet, and already she'd had enough. She thudded down the stairs towards the make-shift memorial the coven had set up in Sophie's honor, the candles glinting in the dark night. _As if she wasn't emotional enough already._ Sophie thought to herself sarcastically, trying to hold back the tears that had threatened to show all night. But she allowed herself to break down just for the moment. She had every goddamned right to, anyway.

Sophie lit another candle in honor of her sisters memory before bracing her hands against the wooden tabletop. "You got me into this, Jane." She murmured thickly, letting the tears spill down her cheeks. "Give me the strength to finish it."

_Bang_.

Sophie whirled around at the sound of the door shutting, her senses on edge. Naturally, no one was there. But that didn't mean all was well nowadays. If anything nowadays, if you didn't see the monster that hid under the bed, it meant that there was more fearful things to come.

She heard a whisper of air, and her mind clicked into gear.

"The doors work, you know." She snapped, her fear dissolving into anger.

"You're doing magic?" A voice sounded from behind her, and she turned to see one of Caroline's vampires – the one from the bar. _Terrific._

"I'm praying to my dead sister." She snapped bitterly. "Go ahead. Pay your respects."

"Don't make this a thing, Sophie." The other vampire said from behind her, and she didn't let him have the pleasure of seeing her jump. "The hybrid was looking for Jane-Anne. Caroline wants to know why."

She sent him a scathing look. "That sound's like witch business. I'd say ask her yourself, but I guess you can't, seeing as Caroline _killed her_."

The vampire sneered, speeding up and grabbing Sophie by the shoulders. Her heart lurched in panic, but he suddenly disappeared. She spun around, wondering if the bigger monster was about to appear. A soft thud brought her attention to the ground, and she recoiled.

The vampires heart leaked dark blood onto the concrete.

The other vampire glanced around in fear, before starting towards Sophie as if she had been the cause of his companions death. But before her attacker could even reach her, he was shoved backwards onto an ornate lamp post. He gave a deathly rattle before slumping forward, the iron post sticking out of his chest.

Sophie jolted backwards in shock as a man in a suit appeared before her. He shook out a pristine white handkerchief before wiping his bloodstained hands meticulously. She watched him with wide eyes.

"I'm Elijah." He introduced himself. "You heard of me?"

"Yes," She choked out with a nod, her heart rate barely calming.

Elijah tucked away the now ruined piece of cloth before turning to her with the barest of smiles. "So, why don't you tell me what business your family has with my brother?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sophie managed to scoff, gesturing to the two dead vampires. "We have a vampire problem, and we need help. Caroline may have meant well in the past, but this is out of control. She has an army backing her now. The witches have been trying to fight back. We haven't had much luck, until my sister Jane-Anne met a girl, a werewolf passing through the quarter from a small town in Virginia. She had a special connection to your brother."

Elijah frowned. "What kind of connection?"

"Familial." She replied cryptically. "But whats more, she is also connected to one of the oldest surviving werewolf clans. And they were pushed out of the city by Caroline, and want back in."

"So I'd be correct in supposing that my brother would be involved in a scheme of some kind?" Elijah narrowed his eyes. "What precisely do you want?"

Sophie lifted her chin challengingly. "We want to run Caroline and her vampires out of town. Klaus is the key. Everything Caroline knows about being a vampire, she learned from Klaus. Caroline trusts him, looks up to him, and she won't see the betrayal coming."

Elijah already objected. He cared about Caroline still, it was ingrained in him after centuries of considering the girl as family. But he still listened, playing along with the witches game. "I'm sure you're aware that my brother Niklaus doesn't like to be told what to do."

"That's why I was hoping to talk to you." She admitted. "Caroline drove the werewolves out. She would welcome a werewolf girl almost as readily as she would welcome the Original hybrid into the neighborhood. You want your family safe? You want to return to the place that was once your home? Then help us."

Elijah considered his options. "I will need to speak to Niklaus about this, and meet the girl – " He paused. "You said she was from a small town in Virginia?"

"Hayley Marshall." Sophie said slowly, watching Elijah's face carefully. "We've heard that you two might know each other."

Memories of the girl and her involvement with her friends in Mystic Falls, protecting the doppelganger who was an exact copy of Tatia and Katerina. Hayley had been intriguing to say the least, but Elijah had refused to allow any feelings to develop for a girl who's friends constantly tried to destroy his family. Though she had proved herself by foiling some of their plans in favor of the Mikaelsons, though no one knew why.

He blinked, and shrugged elegantly. "In passing." He remarked. "Regardless, I will need time to talk to Niklaus."

"Naturally." Sophie sighed. "Come to Lafayette Cemetery when you and Klaus want answers. I'd guess that your brother has gone to confront Caroline for having him followed."

Elijah grimaced. "I have my work cut out for me, don't I?"

.

The party at the mansion was in full swing. Booze and blood flowed freely, as was Caroline's way. She never condoned killings unless someone had broken her rules, but she did allow for a good time. And she always made sure to provide for one hell of a party. If Caroline Forbes was anything, she was not boring.

Klaus, however, clearly didn't get the memo. He wasn't up for one hell of a party – he was up for hell. He stormed through the courtyard, his eyes scanning the room for his prey. He spied Marcel and his target was locked.

"Where is Caroline?" He asked with a snarl.

"Why the hell are you asking?" Marcel snapped back, ready to protect his pretty blonde sire.

"I assume you're joking." Klaus scoffed.

"I only answer to Caroline." Marcel replied.

Klaus set his jaw. "Well then, perhaps you'll answer to this." He grasped the man by the collar, allowing his eyes to shift to their golden hybrid hue. "You're aware that the bite of a werewolf can kill a vampire? Well, as you can see, I'm now half werewolf, Marcellus." He shook Marcel by his collar. "Now I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is Caroline?"

"Up here." Caroline called from the balcony above the courtyard, her voice ringing out across the crowd despite the din of the party. She waited for his eyes to catch hers before she flipped herself over the railing and landed cat-like on the ground below. She walked over to Klaus, the consistent click of her heels against the stone floor like a reminder of time passing.

"Any reason why you're causing an uproar at my party?" She asked calmly.

"There is only an uproar because some people only answer to you." He huffed, releasing Marcel's collar regardless.

"And the reason why they only answer to me is because people like Marcel are looking out for me. Like family. And nobody harms my guys – those are the rules." Caroline's voice was hypnotic, soothing, authorative. It rubbed against Klaus's skin irritatingly. She was sired to him, she should answer to _him_.

"I don't care about your rules, sweetheart, and I certainly don't appreciate the chaperones." Klaus glared down at the blue-eyed girl. "Why are you having me followed?"

Caroline had the audacity to laugh. "I get it. A show of force. You've made your point, okay?"

Klaus watched her, noticing how reluctant she was to discuss finer details in front of her lackeys. "Fine. Why don't you show me what you've done with the place, while you explain exactly what it is you've been up to in _my_ town?"

She visibly bristled at the mention of it being _his_ town, but nevertheless shot a smile towards Marcel and the others before beckoning Klaus over to the stairs.

Caroline led him over to the balcony that looked down onto the street. She went to lean against the ornate railing, her eyes locked on the city that loomed overhead. "Look at the skyline. Hotels, tourists, fresh blood. This city thrives for us. And the humans? I taught them to look the other way. Being a vampire isn't a problem here. It's a gift."

Klaus wasn't there to wax poetic. "And what of the witches? When I was last here, they were a force to be reckoned with, and now they live in fear."

Caroline kept her eyes focused on the lights. "Yeah, well a lot has changed since you abandoned me."

"Are you still sore about that, love?" He murmured.

She gritted her teeth. "Nope. I've got my own family now."

"And your own lover?"

Caroline brought her gaze back to his sharply. "Lets not start that again."

His eyes continued to bore into her, reaching inside her and lighting something that she had kept cold and dark. She looked away, and he was back to business again.

"How do you know when the witches use magic here?"

"Maybe I've got a secret weapon, an ace up my sleeve."

"Is that so?" Klaus asked, humor edging his voice.

"Maybe I'm bluffing." Caroline shrugged, not letting him get to her. No way. Just because he was back in town didn't mean she was going to roll over. She had climbed her way to the top and she wasn't going to give it up for him, even if she did love him once. It was once, and it wouldn't happen again.

Caroline took out her vial of vervain and added it to the ornate crystal glass of bourbon and coke she was holding.

"You take vervain?" Klaus noted. "I always thought that if you were determined to get blind drunk there might be other more sanitary options."

She gave him a contemptuous look and drained the glass, wincing only slightly at the burning pain it brought to her throat.

"Well then." He smirked. "You showed me."

She chuckled. "It burns like hell, but I figure I should limit the number of things I'm vulnerable to."

"Like emotions?"**  
**

Caroline placed the vial back in her pocket and sighed.

"Don't think I haven't noticed, love." Klaus continued, drawing nearer to her. "How you run everything meticulously, like clockwork. How your smile doesn't reach your eyes. How you have 'guys', not 'friends'."

She remained impervious, watching the street below them.

"Did we really have that impact, Carolina? Did I – "

"Don't flatter yourself." Caroline finally snapped. "You said I was nothing more than collateral damage, right? So just leave it."

"You know I never meant – "

"It's fine." She shook her curls and smiled at him. "You know I'm just teasing." She bumped shoulders with him, as if everything were fine. "And don't be mad about that chaperone thing. I just told some of my guys to look out for you. That's what family does, right?"

Klaus watched her emotions flip like a dime and nodded. Caroline held his gaze as she greeted someone who stood in the doorway behind him.

"Evening, Elijah."

"Caroline." He replied warmly.

The blonde girl stepped away from the railing and sped her way over to Elijah, engulfing him in a warm hug.

"Niklaus." Elijah said over the top of her head.

"Brother." Klaus returned coolly. "What an entirely unwelcome surprise."

"And what an entirely unsurprising welcome." He quipped, before smiling down at the younger vampire he embraced. "And how are you, my dear?"

"Quite well, thank you." Caroline smiled. "Much as I'd love to catch up on old times, I have a party to host. I'm sure you have something to discuss with your brother anyway." She reluctantly stepped out of Elijah's hold. "I'll see you some other time?"

"I will make sure of it." Elijah responded, watching her step back inside to join her cohort.

"Our own sweet Carolina, commander of the Quarter." He remarked to his brother who stood against the railing taking in the same city Caroline had studied only moments before.

"Queen of the Quarter." Klaus corrected. "And in need of a King. But she refuses to relinquish her hold."

"Why should she?" Elijah shrugged. "She has all she has ever wanted."

"And in lifetimes past, she wanted me." Klaus reminded him.

"But no longer." His brother stated.

Klaus turned to him with anger in his eyes. "I'll be the decider of that. Just as soon as I figure out what business the witches have with me."

"Already done." Elijah commented. "Follow me."

.

The brothers entered Lafayette Cemetery with the assistance of one of the witches. They were led to one of the mausoleums, and Klaus slowed his pace as he saw who stood before them.

"Sophie Deveraux. What is this?"

"He's all yours." Elijah said to the witch with a polite note. "Proceed."

"You know you're famous in this town?" Sophie smirked at Klaus, who returned the expression with pride. "Witches tell bedtime stories about the powerful vampire Klaus. We know Caroline was nothing but an orphan street rat, until you made her what she is. And now she's out of control. She does what she wants, she kills who she wants. I'm gonna stop her. And you're gonna help me."

Klaus scoffed. It was tempting. But absurd.

"This is why you brought me here?" He asked Elijah.

"Hear her out." Elijah said patiently.

"I don't need to hear her out." Klaus snapped at his brother before turning back to Sophie. "I assure you, there is not a thing on this earth that will matter enough for me to waste even thirty more seconds of my time." He swung back around to face his brother. "Elijah, what madness is this?"

"Klaus." Another voice rang out in the stone mausoleum. Hayley stepped out from an arch doorway next to Elijah. "You need too listen to them."

Klaus didn't hold back his derisive laugh. "You're all out of your minds if you think some small town girl who helped me with a few schemes - no offense, sweetheart - means a thing to me."

Sophie held her ground. "Caroline may be able to keep up from practicing real magic in this town, but as keepers of the balance we still possess certain skills. For example, I have a special gift of sensing supernatural creatures. And more importantly, their lineage."

Klaus remained impassive, aside from his smirk. "How does this concern me?"

"You remember that random birth mark you commented on once?" Hayley reminded him of the mark on her shoulder that he had spotted in the summer in Mystic Falls.

"What of it?" He asked, palms out nonchalantly.

"You said you had only seen it on some members of a werewolf clan." She continued. "But it wasn't just any clan, was it?"

"She is a descendent from your werewolf father." Sophie clarified. "And her own father is the recently deceased leader of the last surviving werewolf clan in New Orleans."

"Are you trying to persuade me to fight for Alpha control with this girl?" Klaus scoffed.

"No." Sophie said carefully. "But if you want control of New Orleans, then it'd sure help to have the witches and the werewolves on your side, don't you think?"

"I see. You're prepared to offer an enticing deal." Klaus mused. "Gain control of New Orleans with the joint efforts of the leaders of both werewolves and witches alike. Take down Caroline's regime and replace it with our own. But where's the guarantee that you wont simply turn on me once the deal is done?"

"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this lineage." Sophie said lowly. "Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the witches are bound to an agreement such as this."

"And what do you gain from this?" Klaus continued with suspicion.

"No more of our kind will be slaughtered by Caroline for doing what we were born to be." Sophie gritted.

Klaus studied her for a long moment, weighing his options.

"But you would have us kill one of our own." Elijah interjected.

Sophie straightened her spine. "We have a clear plan that we need to follow, and there are rules. If you don't help us, then Caroline – "

"How dare you." Klaus voice was as quiet and deadly as an assassin's blade, cutting across the commotion that had begun to rise. "How dare you command me," He raised his eyes to Sophie, his rage rising with his voice. "Threaten me, with what you wrongfully perceive to be my weakness. I won't hear any more of this."

"Niklaus, wait." Elijah called after his brother as he strode towards the stairs, making him pause. The elder Mikaelson turned back to Sophie. "We cannot condone the death of one of our kind such as Caroline."

"She has proclaimed herself as Ruler of New Orleans." Sophie shook her head. "That is too high a title for anyone. Nature won't allow it."

"But nature allowed me." Klaus shot back from where he paused, head tilted slightly back towards the gathering. "The abomination. The hybrid. Clearly I have the power."

"Not here you don't." Sophie countered.

Klaus went rigid with anger before he shot one last murderous look at the witch. "Kill Caroline. What do I care?" He snarled before storming out.

.

"Niklaus," Elijah's voice sounded from behind Klaus, and his frown deepened.

"It's a trap, Elijah." Klaus said without turning, set on his course to go and confront Caroline. There had to be other ways to get his power back. This was his town.

"No, brother. It's a gift." Elijah was adamant. "It's your chance, _our_ chance."

"For what?" He scoffed, turning around to face his brother.

"To start over. Take back everything we lost, everything that was taken from us. Niklaus, our own parents came to despise us. Our family was ruined, _we_ were ruined. We ran for a thousand years, and we were at our happiest here. This is our chance to become a family once more. A true family."

"And you would happily kill the one you once called sister just to get that back?" Klaus taunted, taking delight in how he could make Elijah's jaw clench. "No, you wouldn't. But I would."

"There is no need for her blood to be shed. And while I would not like to be proven wrong, I don't believe you are capable of such an act."

Klaus laughed at his brother's insistence. "And why is that?"

"Because you love her. You always have. And you still do." Elijah said, his voice soft.

Klaus would not be sentimental. "I will not be manipulated." He snapped, turning away from his brother to continue his plan.

Elijah was already blocking his path. "It is not manipulation when you still feel those feelings towards her. Tell me that I'm wrong."

"You're wrong." Klaus growled in his face, but the truth of it was in his eyes. He turned away from Elijah again.

"Is it so important to you that people never see the good in you? That the only emotion they feel for you is fear when they hear the sound of your name?" Elijah blocked his way again.

"People quake with fear because I have the power to make them afraid." Klaus stated, proud of his fearsome status. "What good would it do to be loved? Will it guarantee me power?"

Elijah shook his head sadly. "_Family_ is power, Niklaus. Love, loyalty – that's power. This is what we swore to one another a thousand years ago, before life tore away what little humanity you had left, before ego, before anger, before paranoia created in this person before me someone I can barely even recognize as my own brother. This is us, the Original family, and we remain together, always and forever." He placed a caring hand on his brother's shoulder. "I am asking you to stay here. I will help you and I will stand by you. I will be your brother. We will build a home here together. But the only way for that to happen is if we side with Sophie and Hayley and change their plan to suit our needs – to protect Caroline, so our family may be reunited."

Klaus brought his hand to Elijah's neck in a brotherly gesture. He looked him in the eye, and Elijah dared to hope that he had broken through to his true brother.

But then Klaus' expression changed to its familiar one of anger, and Elijah knew that all was lost.

"No." He snarled, before turning and stalking down the street. And this time he was not followed. This time, he was alone.

* * *

Hey!

I'm notoriously terrible for finding new ideas and getting way too excited over them, but I couldn't resist when the idea for this popped into my head (and my tumbler news feed).

The idea is not entirely my own. Credit and kudos goes to madampudifootsteashop on tumblr, who created this amazing set of gifs that I shall reblog on my tumblr wall.

Naturally I couldn't resist attempting to write Caroline into The Originals in this new way.

History, of course, has also been changed. For starters, Caroline was never in Mystic Falls. I've taken this as my creative licensing to also save a couple other characters from terrible fates. Kol was never killed, Jeremy earned his mark and the map the hard way by killing the vampires Klaus created for him. Hayley also got mixed up with the Mystic Falls gang, helping them out through her link with Tyler. Since she was friends with Elena and co, she of course would have never slept with Klaus, thus not creating a little hybrid baby. Good thing too, since in my story they're related, and that poor child might have come out not just a hybrid, but a hybrid with an unnatural number of toes.

As always, a thousand thank yous to my sister from another mister across the ocean, magically-muddled, for beta-ing and being my crazy idea expander. Whenever I get excited about an idea, she only helps heighten that feeling while still managing to keep me fairly sane.

Read and review and all that jazz. Plenty more chapters to come!

Next update will be by the weekend.

xx


	2. Chapter 2

The witches gathered together in the mausoleum after the confrontation. Hayley stood to the side, wary. They had said that they would help her, sure, but she had been brought up with the belief that witches were not to be trusted. She could remember the many times Bonnie had turned around and gone against her word, for the good of the Mystic Falls gang. Plus Hayley had never really been on the best terms with the young witch. Bonnie was far too comfortable calling her out on the many mistakes Hayley apparently made. Hayley blinked and the memories faded, and she tuned into the witches conversation.

"Caroline and her vampires are out of control." Sophie said, pacing. "Something had to be done."

"And the solution is to bring in more vampires?" Agnes questioned.

Sophie turned to her, hands out, soothing. "These aren't just any vampires, Agnes. They're the Originals."

Agnes frowned. "What makes you think you can control the hybrid?"

"She can't." Elijah appeared by Hayley's side, ever so slightly protective. She had gained his trust back in Mystic Falls by keeping his family safe despite her friends' actions, and he would not allow her to be hurt. Nor would he allow himself to be compromised by his feelings towards her, whatever they may be.

"I'm not entirely certain that I can, either." He continued. "But now that your coven has drawn his ire, I have a question: What prevents my brother from murdering you instead of cooperating?"

Sophie raised her eyebrow at the Original. She sighed and grabbed a pin, sticking the needle into her hand.

"_Ow!"_ Hayley hissed from beside Elijah. He turned to her in confusion to find her holding out her own palm, a drop of blood gathering in her hand, exactly at the same point where Sophie had pricked her own skin.

"What the hell?" Hayley said in an undertone, licking the blood away to clean her wound.

"That spell my sister performed, the one that got her killed?" Sophie stated, gaining Elijah and Hayley's attention again. "It didn't just confirm Hayley's lineage. It linked me to Hayley. So anything that happens to me, happens to her. Which means her life is in my hands. Klaus may not care about his own relative, but its very clear what she means to you. If I have to hurt Hayley – or worse – to ensure that I have your attention, I will."

Elijah covered his rage like a gentleman, feigning amusement at her audacity. "You would dare threaten an Original?"

Sophie shrugged. "I have nothing to lose."

The grin slid slowly from Elijah's face, reminding them all of why it wasn't just Klaus who was the famously feared Original.

Sophie remained strong. "You have until midnight to get Klaus to change his mind. We'll need the assistance of both you and your brother for the war we're about to enter."

.

Klaus stormed into Caroline's party for the second time that night. Caroline caught him before any shouting could begin again.

"Where did you and Elijah run off to?" She asked.

Klaus scoffed. "You mean your minions aren't still documenting my every move?"

Caroline wasn't moved. "Aw, someone put you in a mood." She pouted, teasing despite the anger that bubbled underneath the surface of her skin. "How can I fix it?"

"You can fix it by telling me how you control the witches." Klaus insisted.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, we're back to that?"

"Yeah, we're back to that."

She glared at him, her anger rising. "You know I owe you every skill I have, but I have to draw the line. This is _my_ business. I control the witches in this town, in _my_ town." She folded her arms across her chest. "You don't need to know anything else."

"Your town?" Klaus frowned, stepping closer.

Caroline drew herself up to her full height, plus three inches of heels. "Yes. My town."

"Oh, that's funny, love." Klaus pursed his lips. "Because when I left a hundred years ago, you were still the same little grubby orphan I found in the street, and now look at my protégée. Mistress of your domain. Queen of the city."

"Master and King." She corrected icily.

"How so?"

"Because I am. King." Caroline tossed back her hair. "Every queen needs a king, every mistress needs a master. I need no one. I am king."

At some point the music had stopped and they had started the spectacle, but she kept going. She needed to blow her horn every once in a while, and this could serve as a reminder. But most of all, she wanted to show her power to the one man who had made her who she was.

"I know it must burn you to come back and find me with more power than you ever had, but that's how it is, Nik. I know that three hundred years ago, you helped build a backwater penal colony into something. You started it, sure, but then you left. In fact, you ran from it. I got left behind by you and your family, but I saw this empire through. Take a good look around. Vampires rule this city. We don't live in the shadows like rats. I got rid of the werewolves. I even found a way to shut down the witches. The blood never stops flowing and the party never ends. If you want to stay for a while, fine. Be my guest. But only my guest. What's mine is yours, but it still is _mine_. This is my home, my family, my rules. And you aren't going to take control over any of it."

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "No control? Control comes with rules, sweetheart, you know that. And so what if someone breaks those rules?"

"Then they die." Caroline said fiercely. "No mercy. You taught me that. I am King here, Klaus. Show some respect."

Klaus nodded in consideration, then wheeled around and plunged his fangs into Thierry who stood nearby. Caroline lurched in fear towards her friend, and Klaus stepped back to speak to her with fading golden eyes.

"Your little friend will be dead by the weekend. Which means I've broken one of your rules. And yet I cannot be killed. I _am_ immortal." He goaded her with a charming smile, blood drying on his lips. "Who has the power now, _love_?"

Caroline seethed, glaring at him, speechless, as he left.

.

"He's willing to give up everything." Elijah sighed, ending his explanation to Rebekah over the phone.

"_Come on, Elijah." _Rebekah didn't sound so impressed. _"Does that really surprise you?"_

"I already see it. He's spiraling. He's lashing out in a blind rage." Elijah shook his head. "You know, the last time I saw him like this was when he thought he had lost her, back when Mikael stormed the city." Mikael. Not father. He had stopped being their father long ago.

"_Back when Car – "_ Rebekah's voice faltered, then gained strength again. _"Leave him to his temper tantrum and come home. With any luck, this misadventure will allow us a reprieve from all of his insanity."_

"He was so close. When I saw him watching Caroline earlier this evening, I could see it in his eyes. He... he wanted... he could almost taste happiness. And now his temper has destroyed it. Even if I was to return him to sanity, he just lost Caroline's trust. So, the likelihood for him redeeming himself in her eyes is lost. And I'm almost out of time to get the girl."

"_Get the…"_ Rebekah let out an unladylike splutter when she realized her brother was talking of Hayley. _"Have you lost your mind? Are we running an orphanage now?"_

Elijah's jaw tightened. "Say what you will about Niklaus, but we are not about to let something happen to Hayley. You bonded with her in Mystic Falls. Admit it."

"_I will admit nothing."_ Rebekah hissed.

.

"Find him, and call me." Caroline snapped into the receiver. "I know how to deal with Klaus."

"Is that so?" Elijah's voice sounded across the din of the bar. Caroline glanced up, holding out a hand to sooth the nearby vampires that launched to their feet, ready for a fight. She hung up the phone and tossing it down on the table. Elijah regarded her fondly. At time she still resembled the girl they had taken in from the streets and raised as their own. She had been like a daughter, then like a sister, family rolled all in one.

And then she scowled at him, and all he could see was Niklaus reflected muscle for muscle in her expression.

"Klaus is being a jerk again. Can't you keep your brother in line?"

"You of all people would know that I cannot." Elijah said regretfully, seating himself at her table. "Its time we had a little chat."

"Oh Elijah." Caroline sighed. "No. Don't get yourself caught up in this. Can't we just have a catch up and a chat without you getting involved in this business?"

"No." Elijah replied point blank. "He is my brother. This is my family. Getting involved is my business."

Caroline pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're going to talk, then talk. I've got other things to do."

He smiled wryly. "You've grown quite confident over the last century, haven't you?"

"Me?" She fluttered her eyes innocently. "I'd say that its Klaus that's cocky, coming to this town, to _my_ town, like he owns the place."

"Well the Mikaelson's did own the place once." Elijah reminded her. "We were all quite happy here, but we could never control those pesky witches at the French quarter. How do you do it?"

Caroline scoffed. "Elijah, you know better than that. I'm not going to tell you. It's my business. Everything in the quarter is my business. Klaus comes into town with his moody brooding and his arrogance, and while that might have charmed me once, its not going to happen again. And the last thing he is going to do is take my place. I run this town now." She regarded him with pained eyes. "You and your family gave up that right when you abandoned me and fled."

"You never came after us." Elijah said softly.

Caroline slammed her hands down on the table. "How could I when I had no idea where you had gone, whether you had been killed by Mikael or not?"

Elijah bowed his head regretfully. Caroline took a deep breath, unwilling to start having a temper tantrum like she was a child again. "And now he's bitten Thierry."

"I assume Niklaus reminded you that a bite like that will kill your friend within a matter of days. Of course, his blood is also the cure."

Caroline tilted her head. "What?"

"Apparently the blood of the hybrid will cure a werewolf bite." He stated. "Quite handy when he needs a negotiation."

She sat back in her chair. "And so he sent you, the great counselor. Will there ever come a day when you don't play mediator for our arguments?"

He winced, clearly upset that he was hurting her, that he had hurt her so terribly in the past.

"What kind of negotiations are we talking about?" Caroline asked, all business.

Elijah did the same in kind. "Return the body of the witch Jane-Anne, allow her people to put her to rest."

She frowned. "Why do you care about the witches?"

He sighed. "Well, that's my business now, isn't it?"

She recoiled back as if he had slapped her. Elijah's heart grew heavy.

Caroline nodded slowly. "Fine. Its done."

.

The clock chimed midnight, the sound ringing out through the masoleum. The witches turned to look at Sophie.

"His time is up." Agnes said gently. "What're you gonna do now, Sophie?"

Sophie exhaled slowly through her nose. "I'm going to do what I said I was going to do."

"What, kill the girl?" Sabine's voice rose in panic. "Kill yourself?"

"It is not enough to start a war in motion that will solve anything." Agnes reasoned. "Klaus does not care about her."

"I do."

The witches turned to see Elijah standing in the doorway, carrying a large bundle wrapped in cloth.

"And I bring proof of my intent to help you." He continued as he walked towards them. "The body of your fallen friend, which I procured from Caroline herself."

"Jane-Anne." Sophie breathed.

Elijah set the body on the floor before them. "May she be granted peace." He rose to look at all of them. "Klaus and I will agree to your terms. I just need a little more time."

"You had your time. It's passed." Agnes reminded him gravely.

"Shut up, Agnes." Sabine hissed.

"For now, accept the deal." Elijah stated. "Caroline and Hayley remain unharmed, or Klaus will kill you all." He turned to leave, and paused. "And I will help him."

He passed by Hayley as he left, and gently held her shoulders. "Wait here."

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice more demanding that questioning.

It made him smile before he was reminded of the grim tasks he had left to do. "I have to go find my stubborn brother and calm him."

"Good luck with that." Hayley scoffed, then softened. "I'll wait here for you."

He paused for a moment, uncertain about what to do to signify a goodbye with this girl, then realized that he ought not say goodbye to her at all. It would be to final.

Instead, he left the cemetery to pick up his brothers scent. It was simple. The scent of booze and rage that followed Klaus wherever he went lingered in the air. He followed it to an alleyway where he found Klaus walking along with a bottle of bourbon.

Klaus paused, hearing his brother's arrival. "Have I not made clear my desire to be left alone?"

If Elijah had not been as mannered as he was, he would have rolled his eyes. "Oh, you demand to be left alone at least once a decade. Your words have ceased to have impact."

Klaus threw the bottle against the wall, its smash echoing in the empty space. "Why must you keep harping on about our family? Caroline will be as good as dead with whatever the witches have cooked up. And I'll be glad of it."

Elijah's patience snapped. He grabbed Klaus by the collar and held him against the wall, slamming him once into it for good measure.

"Don't lie to yourself, brother. You will not walk away from this. You _cannot_ walk away from this."

"Let. Me. Go." Klaus rasped.

"I will _not_!" Elijah countered, swinging him to smash into a nearby crate. Once the debris settled, he picked Klaus up as casually as he had when they were both still children, holding him in a locking embrace.

"Don't make me say it again." Klaus threatened, as if he were the one in control.

"I will _not_ let go. I will _never_ let go." Elijah promised sincerely, loving his brother despite the anger that coursed through his veins. The matter of his family had been ignored for far too long. He would not let Klaus forget this.

But Elijah had underestimated his brothers strength. Klaus latched onto Elijah's shoulder, hurling him against a nearby iron rod fence.

Elijah gathered himself and snapped one of the iron poles off, wielding it as Klaus walked away once more. "Even if I have to spend eternity saving you from your own stubborn, petulant, vile self..." He sped over to Klaus and swung the rod, catching his brother on the shoulder. Klaus roared and turned to face Elijah.

"If I have to beat you as father used to beat you, to remind you of your own humanity." Elijah said, swinging the rod back so it hit Klaus again. "To care about anything." He continued, attempting to clout another blow with the rod.

Klaus's rage spiked at his brothers words, and it helped him catch the pole with ease. He cared, of course he cared, and Elijah knew it. Klaus tugged the weapon into his control and hit Elijah with one striking blow that caused him to skid back across the floor. Klaus let the rod drop to the ground with a clang, slowly walking over to his brother.

"You're beyond pathetic, Elijah."

Elijah sat up, wiping the blood from his lip. "Well, who is more pathetic? The one who sees hope to make his family whole, or the coward who only see the world through his own fear?"

Klaus steeled his emotions. "I haven't cared about anything for centuries." He lied. "Why on earth do you?"

Elijah stared his brother straight in the eye, aware of his lie. "You haven't cared about any_thing_." He repeated. "Any_one_, though…"

"Answer the question, Elijah." Klaus said lowly.

Elijah exhaled. "Because I failed you. Because the first time our father laid a hand on you, I should have struck him dead. I made a promise to you: always, forever, family above all."

Klaus frowned, before laughing and reaching out to help his brother up from the ground. "You are a sentimental fool."

"Perhaps." Elijah allowed. "But I've lasted this long in spite of it, haven't I?"

Klaus stepped back slightly from his brother, wanting more distance between them again.

Elijah sighed wearily. "Where are we setting up quarters then?"

Klaus smirked. "Your sentimentality will allow you to get pulled into your brothers war?" He raised his eyebrows playfully. "And here I was beginning to think you were the good brother."

"There is only one way for this family to become whole." Elijah retorted stiffly. "With your stubbornness and my guidance."

Klaus' smirk became a scowl as he considered his brothers words. "The old plantation." He finally said, before turning and leaving the alleyway, the tight set of his shoulders just daring Elijah to follow him. He let his brother walk away, knowing that while he was plotting, at least he had allowed Elijah to be involved. Klaus wanted his family together, deep down. Elijah knew it.

.

Hayley was perched on the short stone wall surrounding the cemetery when he returned to its wrought iron gates.

"That didn't take long." She commented, then frowned when she saw his split lip. "You're bleeding."

Elijah sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, cleaning the last drop of blood from them before the wound started to heal. Hayley watched the action intently before checking herself and glancing away. He watched her curiously.

"So, where are we off to?" She asked before he could even question her.

"A safe haven."

"To wait for Klaus to interrogate me too?" Hayley asked, folding her arms across her chest. "I saw that happen with the Salvatore brothers back in Mystic Falls. Its not something that's high on my to do list."

"I can assure you that no harm will come to you." Elijah said sincerely.

She studied him for a second, then shrugged. "Fine. Lead the way."

They walked along the streets. Elijah knew it wasn't too far away.

"So, have they been holding you here against your will?" He asked her.

"They lured me out to the bayou and grabbed me." Hayley rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. "Serves me right for listening to strangers."

"There was a reason why many folk tales include the moral of not taking advice from strangers." Elijah said. She glanced sideways at him, not certain if he meant it as a comfort or as a mockery. But one could never be sure with Elijah Mikaelson.

"What did they mean, that I was related to Klaus?" She asked to change the subject and answer the burning question on her mind. "Here I thought vampires couldn't procreate, let alone that one of you left a bloodline."

It was Elijah's turn to watch Hayley as they walked. "Elena and the Salvatores didn't tell you about the origins of the Mikaelson family?"

"I arrived a bit after all of the drama with you trying to kill Elena for the ritual." Hayley said with a smirk.

"I did not agree to Elena's sacrifice – " Elijah protested, but Hayley held up her hands.

"Hey. Like I said, I arrived after all that. I don't do that kind of teen drama. I'm more into teen angst anyway, not teen ritual goat sacrifices." She had a teasing lilt to her mouth, and he couldn't figure out if she was trying to taunt him or not.

"You are a modern soul, aren't you." He commented, shaking his head. "Well, if you are ignorant of the Original family history, then you will require an education, seeing as you are apparently a part of it."

"_How?_" Hayley asked in that same demanding tone.

"In the beginning, our family was human…A thousand years ago, now."

"Is this like some medieval bedtime story?" She quipped.

Elijah sighed, and she bit her lip.

"Right. Sorry. It's a no interruptions kind of deal. Continue."

He frowned at her before continuing as she suggested. "Although our mother dabbled in the dark arts, we were actually just a family trying to survive in a time when it was quite difficult to do so. And, for better or worse, we were happy. That is, however, until one night, our youngest brother was killed by our village's greatest threat. Men that could transform themselves into wolves during the full moon. Our family was devastated, none more than Niklaus. Desperate to protect the rest of us, our father forced our mother to call upon her black magic in order to make us stronger. Thus, the first vampires were born. But with this speed, this strength, this immortality, came a terrible hunger. No one felt this hunger more than Niklaus. When he killed for the first time, we knew what he truly was. He wasn't just a vampire – "

"He was also a werewolf. That's how the werewolf curse works. It isn't activated until you take a life." She realized he was looking at her, and glanced up at him apologetically. "Sorry. Interrupting."

Elijah shook his head slightly, and she realized he must have been wondering more about who she had killed to activate her werewolf gene. He continued as if nothing had happened.

"Niklaus was the result of an indiscretion our mother had hidden from us all. An affair, with a werewolf like yourself. Enfuriated by this betrayal, my father forced our mother to cast a spell that would suppress Klaus's werewolf side, denying him any connection with his true self."

"That explains a bit more of the revenge aspect." Hayley noted to herself, before looking up at Elijah. "And your dad was a dick."

He chuckled unexpectedly at her words before pausing in his step. She turned to see where he was looking, noticing that they were in front of a beautiful white house._Mansion_, she corrected in her head. The place was huge.

"We're here." He announced.

"_This_ is the safe haven?" Hayley gaped. "I was expecting a little more bunker room, preparing for World War III and all that."

"We are the Original family." Elijah replied. "How could you expect any less than this?"

She laughed slightly, and he looked pleased with the reaction. He pried open the door with graceful ease, gesturing for her to walk in first.

"Do you need to be invited or anything?" She asked, walking across the threshold.

"No," Elijah sighed, walking in and shutting the door before glancing around at the abandoned mansion. "The owners died long ago. Thankfully it hasn't been looted. The original furnishings should still be in place." He started up the stairs, intending on checking for furniture, but paused before glancing back to Hayley.

"I want you to know that while I cannot excuse Niklaus' behaviour, past or present, you must understand… when our father hunted him – hunted us – for centuries, every time we found a moment of happiness, we were forced to flee. Even here, in New Orleans, where we were happiest of all. Not long after Niklaus broke the spell which prevented him from becoming a hybrid, he defeated our father. I thought this would make him happy. Instead, he was angrier than ever. I wonder if this latest scheme will bring him happiness, but I would rather intervene and find a way to save him from himself."

Hayley nodded, taking it all in. Elijah started to ascend the stairs again, but her voice made him halt. "Why are you telling me all this?" She asked softly.

He locked eyes with her as she stood down in the foyer. "Because you're part of Niklaus' bloodline, and part of the family now." Elijah tilted his head. "And because I trust you, Hayley. It is a rare occurrence for me." He smiled. "I hope you don't prove me wrong." His words rang out with a sense of challenge and foreboding as he disappeared up the stairs.

.

Klaus sat contemplating the world on a park bench later in the night. Elijah joined him once more, proving that he would never let go, that he would always find his family

"Are you here to give me another pep talk on the joys of family?" Klaus scoffed.

"I've said all I needed to say." Elijah allowed, waiting for Klaus to reveal what was on his mind.

After a pause, Klaus smiled slightly. "I forgot how much I liked this town."

"I didn't forget." Elijah admitted. "All the centuries we've spent together, and yet I can count on one hand the number of times that our family has been truly happy. I hated leaving here."

"As did I." Klaus replied, his voice tinged with regret. He could have come back. He could have faced Mikael. He could have fought his cowardice and fought for Caroline. But instead he abandoned her, abandoned the city he had built, and his heart had become more corroded.

Elijah knew. He always knew. But instead, he didn't pry about his feelings for Caroline. Instead, he asked about something else. He could always recognize a scheming look on Niklaus' face. "What are you planning, brother?"

"For a thousand years, I lived in fear." Klaus sighed. "Any time I settled anywhere, our father would hunt me down and chase me off. He made me feel powerless, and I hated it. This town was my home once, and in my absence, Caroline has gotten everything that I ever wanted. Power, loyalty, family. I made her my protégée, made her in my image and she has bettered me." He stared out unseeing at the city around them. "I want what she has. I want it back. I want to be king."

"Do you still want her back as well?" Elijah asked, concerned at Klaus' level of revenge.

"If she'll have me." Klaus said sincerely, but then his face morphed into a smirk. "And if not, then I'll have no qualms about taking everything from her."

Clearly Elijah was right to be worried about the girl he had once called family. Klaus would do anything for power.

"Tell Sophie Deveraux we have a deal." Klaus said to his brother, his mind whirring with the many possibilities that a deal involving witches and werewolves would entail.

"You'll need to make amends with Caroline first." Elijah said. "Heal her friend Thierry. Get her trust."

Klaus rolled his eyes, standing up. "The things we do for family."

.

Klaus was not five paces into the courtyard before Caroline stood on the balcony above him.

"Get out." She said in a low, icy voice.

"I've had time to contemplate, sweetheart." Klaus soothed, striding up the stairs to meet her.

"I said get out." She repeated, her voice eerily calm.

"I am not your enemy. Where my family and I failed this town, you succeeded." He held her gaze sincerely, and she studied him for a long moment.

Klaus slowly brought his palm to his mouth and bit into the side, creating a small wound that gathered blood. "My blood will heal Thierry. As though it never happened."

Caroline watched him with suspicion. "How will I know if I can trust you?"

He smirked, holding out his hand to her. She glanced down at the blood gathering in his palm, before her gaze flicked back up to lock on his. She held his large palm in between her two hands, bringing the makeshift cup up to her mouth. Caroline brushed her lips across the mark, painting them red before she licked them clean.

"No vervain, at least." She commented, her eyes glimmering like rubies as the bloodlust took over her system, her fangs protruding. She ran her tongue across his palm like a cat, and he watched her every move, transfixed. "And more potent than last time, if my memory serves me right." She glanced up at him cheekily, and memories of the last time she tasted his blood swam across both of their visions. It was a bit hazy for both of them in certain parts, a night fueled with alcohol, blood lust and desires.

"Perhaps. As I recall, you were a little preoccupied." Klaus smirked.

She shared his smile before licking the last drop from his hand. "Well, you've proven that your blood isn't as deadly as your bite. Heal Thierry and I'll reconsider your trustworthiness."

Klaus followed her to a room where Thierry lay sweating on a bed, the mark where he was bitten gleaming a heated red color. Caroline's inner circle of vampires stood around him, watching. Marcel stood up the second Klaus and Caroline walked into the room.

"Easy, Marcel." She soothed him. "Klaus has come to extend a hand of friendship."

Klaus bit into his palm again, relishing the taste of Caroline's lips that still lingered there. She passed him a glass tumbler to collect the blood, before taking it to Thierry to drink. She watched along with every other vampire in the room as Thierry's bite faded before their eyes, and his breathing calmed.

Caroline raised her eyes to meet Klaus across the room. "As though it never happened." She repeated his words, and he nodded. She walked back over to him as the others milled around Thierry.

"The Quarter is your home." Klaus accepted. "But I would like to stay a while, if I'm still welcome."

Caroline gave him a look. "On the condition that there will be no more biting – "

"I can't promise that, love." He smirked. She frowned until he winked at her, and she rolled her eyes in response.

"Very well. You can remain. As my guest." She reminded him, waiting for his smile before she nodded and sauntered back over to join her crew, beaming at Thierry. Marcel included her with an arm around her shoulders, glancing back at Klaus with a wary expression. Klaus watched them, a small calculating smile on his face, before he turned to leave.

.

Hayley wandered through the mansion the next morning, slowly uncovering the pieces of furniture protected by white sheets. She coughed as dust rose up into the air, and smiled when Elijah appeared in the doorway.

"Are you alright?"

"Just dust." She said. She would have mocked his concern, but it was too sweet to laugh at. "This place is ancient." She looked around at the 18th century furniture she had unearthed.

"Yes," Elijah noted, glancing around. He had spent many hours in the governors house, but he never imagined he would be living in it while his own home remained occupied and unavailable. "It should serve our purposes. It's a sanctuary from our business in the Quarter."

Elijah had a knack for making light of a situation. Hayley admired him for that.

"You know, I could just get an apartment." She said. "I mean, its kind of you, offering a place for me to stay – "

"Hayley," Elijah kindly interrupted her ramble. "We shared time together in Mystic Falls. Whats more, you are the carrier of Niklaus' father's werewolf gene. As far as I'm concerned, you're family now."

She made a face at that comment. "Well, sort of family." She amended. If Elijah started thinking of her as a sister, she would be pretty disappointed.

"You are a very important person." Elijah allowed, his happiness growing at the smile she flashed momentarily his way. "And I will always protect you, family or no. You have my word on that."

"And noble Elijah always keeps his word."

The pair turned to find Klaus leaning against the doorframe, watching them with a knowing smirk. Instinctively, both Elijah and Hayley shifted slightly away from one another. Klaus' smirk grew – his brother was always so obvious with his interests, and it would appear that Hayley was the same.

"Is it done?" Elijah asked, keen to distract his brother.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Klaus walked into the room with a slow, easy gait. "Your underhanded deal worked quite well. Caroline was only too happy to accept my blood even as she accepted my heartfelt apologies." He smiled slightly to himself, remembering how she brushed her mouth across his hand, the look in her eyes as she tasted his blood. The deal had worked out far better than he had hoped. "Her man, Thierry, yet lives and I remain a welcome guest in the French Quarter." Klaus continued. "My only concern now is this coven of impudent witches."

"I believe them to be honorable." Elijah said carefully. "They did release Hayley. Although, they haven't been entirely forthcoming. Caroline obviously has something that they need. They don't want her dead, not yet. There must be a reason why. And I will figure out a way to get her out of this alive, even if it means killing the witches myself."

Hayley watched Elijah's face become something truly frightening, and she was glad that she had not been the cause of it. Family was important to this man, and whoever Caroline was, whatever terrible things she had done to gain control of the Quarter, she was lucky to have someone like Elijah. And so was Klaus.

"I'm shocked, brother." Klaus teased. "That you would shed blood just to protect so many. Hayley, Caroline…are we picking up stray puppies now?"

Hayley frowned but let the comment slide. Elijah was going to defend his side of it anyway.

"Family ranks highly for me, Niklaus. You know that."

"Ah, yes, always and forever, lets not ramble." Klaus set his eyes on Hayley. "I'm curious as to why you are here rather than with the others in Mystic Falls."

"I had enough of the Elena show." Hayley shrugged.

Elijah raised his brows and joined his brother in studying the girl, knowing that there was another aspect she was leaving out.

"And I got a tip off that my birth parents were last seen in New Orleans." She added under the intense stare of both brothers.

"But there is more to it than that, isn't there?" Elijah pried.

If anyone else would have asked, Hayley would have told them to get stuffed. But it was Elijah, and she knew she could trust him. And Klaus would find out somehow anyway. The man was the inventor of the word 'spy'.

"Well, after the witches did their whole voodoo and used me in this plan of theirs to get to you two, I was told that my mother had died giving birth to me, and my father recently died over some pack dispute." Hayley said blankly.

Elijah watched her carefully, kindness apparent in his eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss."

She shrugged it off. "Its not a loss, really."

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked.

Hayley looked over at him. She had forgotten it wasn't just her and Elijah in the room. "I – I was abandoned when I was born and my adoptive parents kicked me out the second that I turned into a wolf." Her gaze returned to Elijah. "So... I don't really know how I feel about my father being dead before I even found him since I didn't really have a good start with him. But I don't consider it a loss." She glanced up and met Klaus' eye. "And I can relate. To having a shit father. Cause I had two. Though neither of them were probably as diabolical as yours."

Klaus looked taken aback, before a surprising expression of gratitude flashed across his face. "Well, I think that deserves a drink." He nodded to his brother. "Elijah, shall we break out the governors best liquor?"

"I'd refuse to drink anything else." Elijah said in agreeance, and for that one night in the house that was not their own, the Original vampire, Original hybrid, and little wolf girl bonded.

.

Caroline paid a visit to her special girl. She walked into the wooden boarded attic, the rustic setting contrasting greatly with the lavish furniture she had brought in specially for her. She found the dark haired girl sitting by the window with a candle, her fingers making the flame expand and contract without touching it. Her powers were growing every day. But Caroline could tell that the girl was lonely. She herself had spent a solitary childhood, but at least she had been brought up in the company of the most expressive family known to man – the Original family. Caroline made a mental note to take the girl out of the area she was confined to for her own safety before she walked up to her with a smile.

"I assume its all quiet out there?"

The girl turned to her with a smile. "The witches know better than to use magic. They know I can sense it when they do." Her expression faded into a sweetly concerned frown. "What about the old ones? They're dangerous, and I don't want them to hurt you."

"The Originals?" Caroline scoffed. "That's kind of you, Davina, but honestly, as powerful as you are, they don't stand a chance."

"But supposing that they side with the witches – "

"Honey," Caroline soothed, sitting beside Davina and locking her gaze. "You have nothing to fear. I promised to protect you from them, didn't I? And the Originals aren't the ones we should worry about. Its just Klaus. And between the two of us, we can handle Klaus, right?"

Davina nodded with a smile, the furrow still there and faint on her brow. Caroline smoothed it with her fingers before enveloping the girl in a hug.

.

"In addition to the secret weapon she uses to control the witches, Caroline has assembled a small army of vampires. Working together, we can destroy them from the inside." Elijah said tactfully, ever the general when it came to his brothers wars. He would make sure Caroline came out unscathed, but if it meant taking down her empire, then so be it.

"And what of Rebekah?" Klaus asked, trying to remain nonplussed about his sisters involvement. "Has she stopped her pouting long enough to join the fun?"

Elijah paused. "She has made her disinterest quite clear." He finally said.

Klaus faltered, but shrugged it off. "One too many times daggered and shoved in a box, I gather? Or perhaps she doesn't share your unwavering belief that I can be saved." He scoffed.

Elijah watched him sympathetically, caring for his deranged brother as always. "Rebekah may surprise us yet. After all, we all swore the same vow."

Klaus frowned down at his hands. "I hope she stays far away. And Kol too. Because in my desire to reclaim this town, to steal from Caroline that which she holds most dear, I have realized one massive vulnerability. One weakness that Caroline could exploit."

Elijah exhaled. "Your care for her. I understand – "

Klaus made an indignant noise. "I do not _care_ for her." He snapped, and Elijah retreated.

"What is this weakness, then?" He asked, coming to stand beside his brother.

Klaus watched him carefully. "You." He turned, his hand a flash of silver, and Elijah groaned in pain as his brother stabbed him in the chest with the silver oak dagger. Elijah glared up at Klaus with a mixture of sympathy and rage.

"Forgive me, my brother." Klaus soothed as he lowered Elijah to the floor. "There is no power in love. Mercy makes you weak. Family makes you weak. Love makes you weak. And if I am going to win this war, I have to do it alone, without a conscience."

Hey!

First off, thank you to the lovely people who reviewed! I hope I can meet your expectations for this story. As to a couple of queries raised, yes; its a bit confusing. Like most things in Julie Plecs world, the characters are going to have their own motives for everything that might not all be clear at once, even to the reader (who usually knows the most out of anyone!). And yes, Hayley is involved. I'm hoping to redeem herself as the sassy girl-leader she could have been (and potentially still will be on The Originals). And also while I do understand that there are certain aspects of each character that are never going to change, this is an alternate universe from the original storylines set up by The Vampire Diaries. The characters didn't all meet each other the same way, and they've all developed as people in different ways. Hope that clears up a bit of the confusion! I'm looking forward to toying with the different dynamics that this will allow, especially between Caroline and Klaus - they might hate each other, but there is still that same love and desire between them. Its so marvellously twisted.

Special thank you to the charming MadamPuddifootsTeashop, the creator of the gif who has kindly given some wonderful feedback! Hope I can do the story justice now!

Next chapter will also start exploring Caroline's history with the Original family. Its going to be a great challenge seeing what would have altered Caroline's personality, seeing as she was born into an entirely different era and that will have changed some aspects of the girl we see in The Vampire Diaries today.

Read and review and rate as always, I love hearing back from you guys!

Next chapter will hopefully be up by Wednesday, seeing as I may or may not have internet connection :P

xx


	3. Chapter 3

"_That last note was a little off, sweetheart." His voice rang out from the shadows at the other side of the room, and she jolted where she sat perched at the piano._

"_I thought I was alone." She exclaimed._

"_Regardless of whether you are alone, with family or with foes, there is no right time for an off note." Klaus tutted. "Again."_

_She shot him a look, but dutifully began the sonata once more. Klaus made his way around the edge of the room as she played each note with a precision that was often only found in clockwork. As the last note faded into the air, the sixteen year old raised her head to look at him._

_Klaus sighed. "What is the title of this piece?"_

"_Ma Belle Amie est Morte."_

"_French for?"_

"_French for 'My Beautiful Love is Dead."_

"_A tragic story with emotions which your playing does not reflect. Again, with feeling."_

_The look she sent his way this time was utterly scorching, but he ignored it and she started to play once more, sending the human emotions she felt through her fingers into the ivory keys of the piano._

_Klaus slowly walked across the floor as the music swelled, drawn against his better nature. When she played – when she really played, with the full depth of her heart – he could feel again. He understood emotions. He felt human again._

_She raised her sapphire blue eyes to lock on his, and they remained stuck in that moment, transfixed, until she raised her eyebrows expectantly. Klaus realized that she had finished playing, and was awaiting his judgement._

"_Better." He allowed. "Now play it again."_

.

Caroline greeted Klaus warmly at the door as if nothing had passed between them.

"Almost thought you weren't going to make it!" She beamed, then faltered. "Where's Elijah?"

"He had other commitments." Klaus fended off easily, glancing around at the sea of vampires and humans alike, all dancing wildly to the music. "Am I expected to join the throng?"

"That depends." Caroline said slyly. "Are you hungry?"

Klaus shot her a look that conveyed an entirely different hunger, and the little human girl inside her blushed. The three-hundred-year old vampire in her merely smiled and jerked her head towards the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

"Its almost midnight. I'll explain later, but we should get off the ground floor and out of the way."

He followed her without question.

"Every so often I host a party. Tourists and locals, everyone is welcome. We dance the night away. Then at the stroke of midnight, everything changes, and it's time to feed." As she spoke, the clock chimed overhead, and the vampires began to turn on the masses, inducing screams from their victims. Caroline and Klaus watched from above like avenging angels.

"This is how I keep everyone happy: the occasional all-you-can-eat-buffet. Everyones loves a party." Caroline flipped her hair, mocking the seventeen year old girl she would be in this day and age, and Klaus chuckled.

"Its quite an operation." He agreed. "Tell me, what about the victims? Seems like a lot of graves to dig."

"Its always graves with you." She rolled her eyes. "We can't kill them all. Tourism would drop, and its suspicious if everyone goes missing. Besides, they have families to return to and lives to live."

Klaus glanced at her as the wistful tone in her voice gave away some emotion. Caroline caught his eye and her face hardened.

"So we heal them with our blood, erase their memory, and send them on their way."

"I'm impressed." He said approvingly.

She scoffed at the look on his face. "You don't need to seem so surprised. I did actually learn a great deal from you back in the day."

"Much to your despair." Klaus teased, and she elbowed his side. He bumped her right back, remaining in her personal space a moment too long, lingering. She looked up at him –

"Caroline." Thierry appeared on the walkway a few feet away, respectful.

"Thierry." She greeted, swiftly leaving Klaus' side under the guise of attending to important matters. She wasn't running from him. She wasn't scared. Nope.

"Six of our guys were killed in a bar outside of the quarter. Nightwalkers. No one saw who."

Caroline glanced back towards Klaus, who frowned out at the crowd.

"Thanks." She said to Thierry. "Keep an ear out."

Thierry nodded and went to rejoin the party.

"This wouldn't be your doing, would it?" She accused, not sparing a moment for manners sake.

"I respect your rules." Klaus said, still studying the throng of people feeding beneath them.

"You didn't hold any regard for them before when you almost killed one of my companions." Caroline reminded him.

He shrugged, accepting her words. "And then I healed him. Why would I go and kill six vampires after that little spat of ours?"

The words stirred up memories in Caroline that she'd rather never return to. "Very well then." She said, trying to make her tone less snappy. "Go have a drink on me. I have more pressing matters to attend to now."

.

"Elijah," Rebekah snapped into her phone as she parked the car in the governors drive way. "If not answering your phone is part of your clever plan to get me back to this godforsaken city, then well done. I'm here, and I'm worried." She sauntered up the front steps. "Now pick up before I kick in your bloody door."

She hung up and barged through the fine oak door regardless. A startled scrambling at the top of the centre staircase caught her attention, and she snorted.

Hayley stood on the landing, a fire iron clenched tightly in her hands as if she were about to wield it like a sword.

"You must be the maid, dressed as you are." Rebekah sneered.

"Hello. Not the maid." Hayley retorted, defending her choice of a comfy button down shirt and denim cut off shorts. She didn't care if she might look like trailer trash – it was steaming inside the house, and she had no one to impress.

Rebekah sighed. "Why are you here again? Did Mystic Falls spit you back out?"

"Well you're here too now. Must have spat you out too." Hayley smiled sweetly before grimacing. "I'd forgotten that you have your brother's manners."

"And his temper too." Rebekah reminded her. "Now where is Elijah?"

Hayley glanced away, putting down the iron poker. "Beats me. He's long gone."

Rebekah froze. "What do you mean, 'long gone'?"

Hayley tried to hide her disappointment at Elijah's departure, and failed. "Well, one minute he was here making epic promises about protecting me no matter what – he was all poetic about how we're family – and then Klaus told me he bailed. Guess that's what I get for trusting a vampire."

Rebekah bristled indignantly. "Elijah is not just any vampire, and he doesn't break promises. Which means Niklaus has done something dastardly and Klaus-like. I'm sure you remember, after all, you helped him a couple times." Rebekah swung around, storming her way through the house. "Klaus! Get out here and tell me what you've done with our brother, you narcissistic, back-stabbing wanker!"

A set of double doors burst open to reveal Klaus, and Rebekah startled slightly.

"Enough with all the shouting." He said dryly, before smiling none too kindly at Rebekah. "Little sister. I should have known. I assume the six dead vampires were your doing?"

Rebekah crossed her arms. "They were very rude. Trying to victimize a poor, innocent girl just trying to find her way to the Quarter. So sorry, were they friends of yours?" She smirked. "Oh, that's right, you don't have any friends."

Klaus' cocky attitude shrank slightly, but he was willing to hurt his sisters feelings too. "I do have friends. I have Caroline. And her companions are quite forthcoming. Like Marcel." He grinned as Rebekah's eyes widened. "You remember him, don't you? Yes, of course you do." Klaus paced, his irritation returning. "Caroline fancies herself as the 'King of the Quarter' now."

Rebekah raised her brows. She admired the girls gumption. "Not Queen? You mean she hasn't set up a nice little throne for you to return to? I wonder why?" She took delight in riling him up, seeing his anger barely contained.

Klaus wasn't about to go down without a fight. "She has these rules about killing vampires now, too." He continued as if Rebekah hadn't spoken. "It'll be fun to see what sort of punishment he comes up with for you."

"I don't care about any rules or any past flings like Marcel that you can remind me of." Rebekah said darkly, returning to her intended topic. "Elijah doesn't welsh on deals. What did you do to him?"

Klaus shrugged, poker face in place. "Perhaps he's on holiday. Or taking a long autumn nap upstairs." He grinned at Rebekah's barely disguised expression of horror. "Well, go on. Take a look around. You remember this house as well as I."

.

_Rebekah walked through the governors house in the midst of a party. She nodded to some that were below her status, curtseyed deeply to those who were above, all the while smiling to herself because she was technically above them all. She was immortal, and they would pass and become old while she remained young forever, her skin never wrinkling, her body never deteriorating. She did miss mortality some times, but not today. No. Today she reveled in the fact that she would never die._

_She curtseyed to the governor himself, already drunk into a lazy state. She could barely hide her distaste for the man. But at least he was better than the previous owner of the house – the iniquitous William Forbes II._

_Rebekah glanced around for Carolina, knowing that today would be a difficult one for her considering it used to be her father's household. She recalled bringing the news home to the girl five years before._

"_I hated him so much for what he did to me." Carolina had muttered as she shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "So much. Now all I want to do is bring him back."_

_Rebekah had held the girl until she fell asleep mid sob, exhausted._

_And now Carolina was back. Back in the home her father had inhabited while she had been forced into slave work at the plantation attached to the house. And this time, she was part of the upper class society that she had been denied access to before._

_Rebekah spied the girl charming a young Spanish caballero, and smiled. Carolina was doing just fine. She mingled, finding Kol in the throng. Gambling at cards, of course._

"_You could not wait till after dinner to play, brother?" Rebekah commented._

_Kol barely spared a glance up at his younger sister. "Phillipe was teaching me a card game from our French homeland called Faro." He grinned up at her. "I will bet a dollar for you."_

"_You will bet nothing on my behalf." She scolded, glancing up at the other men with a smile._

_The other men stared at her for much more than half a second, giving Kol an easy advantage for the next hand._

"_Clearly I am too blessed, gentlemen." He announced as he drew his winnings towards him. "I have been favored by lady luck with good fortune and good family." Kol rose to his feet, pressing a kiss to Rebekah's cheek, drawing her away from the table._

"_How is dear Carolina?" He asked in an undertone._

_Rebekah glanced to where Carolina giggled at whatever nonsense the caballero was charming her with. "She is fine, I am sure."_

_Kol followed her gaze and stood up straighter as he saw the sixteen year old blonde across the room, flirting, a spitting image of the Original Blonde that Carolina called sister. "No. No Spaniards. I have chased off enough from you."_

"_Let her have a little fun, Kol!" Rebekah tutted._

"_Already on it, little brother." Klaus appeared by Kol's side, clasping his shoulder once before making his way through the crowd towards Carolina._

"_No," Rebekah gasped quietly, starting to follow him. Kol caught her arm before she moved too far, bringing her forcibly back to her side._

"_Now now, Bekah. Niklaus is protecting our family, and he will cause enough of a riot on his own."_

_Carolina glanced up as Klaus neared her, and beamed a sunny smile._

"_Nik!" She greeted him._

"_Hello, my dear." He nodded, glancing contemptuously to the young man by her side. "Who is this?"_

"_This is José." Carolina introduced the man who was eyeing off Klaus as his competition. And anyone could see that it was no competition. The moment Klaus had joined them, Carolina paid attention to him, watching for his reaction, like a young maiden completely enamored with a gentleman._

_But Klaus was no gentleman._

"_And who are – " José challenged Klaus, but the Original gripped the young mans shoulder like a vice._

"_You will leave this young lady alone. She is not in want of your company today."_

_The dumbstruck caballero nodded mutely before turning to wander off into the party as he had been compelled to do. Carolina watched him go before turning back to Klaus in outrage._

"_Why did you do that? He was nice to me!"_

_Klaus shrugged. "Because I felt like it."_

_She opened her mouth to rage at him some more, but he offered her his hand. "Dance with me."_

"_No." Carolina replied petulantly, and Klaus frowned at her momentarily before circling his arm around her waist and guiding her to the ballroom whether she wanted to join him or not. She didn't fight him – she knew better than to do that. But she held on to her anger, knowing by now that the right words would either hurt Klaus as Rebekah liked to do, or make him see the right course of action, as she had learnt from Elijah._

_They took their place among the other couples for a waltz, and he gracefully swept her up into his arms._

"_There. Now was that so difficult?" Klaus crooned as they spun across the floor._

_Carolina remained stubbornly silent._

"_Are you thinking of your father?" He attempted, partly to get a response from her, partly out of actual concern for her wellbeing._

_She glared at him. "Don't. Seriously." She eyed him for another second before glancing away across the room in a state of apparent boredom that frustrated him to no end._

"_Very well then. You are quite the dancer this evening." He complimented despite his irritation._

"_And you know that I received the best education in the subject." She replied sharply._

"_Why the hostility, sweetheart?"_

_Carolina's hand gripped his shoulder like a claw. "I refuse to speak civilly to you until you tell me why you had to compel that poor boy."_

"_Ah, that is what is bothering you." Klaus said casually, aggravating her further. "He wasn't good enough for you. I don't see the need for such conversation."_

"_Fine." She snapped, wanting to get under his skin. "Then let us talk about our father figures and how they impacted us."_

"_I thought you didn't want to speak of your father." Klaus reminded her, turning her in an elegant spin under his arm that she accomplished well despite her temper._

"_That was before I realized something. The one thing that kept me loving my father despite his downfalls was the fact that at least at one point of my childhood, he showed affection for me. I clung to that love, and it trumped my hatred for the terrible things he did." She studied him carefully. "But your father didn't love you, so you assume that no one else will either. And that is why you compel people, and terrify them, and try to buy them off, but that is not the way it is meant to work. You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to understand them."_

_Carolina glared at him and he returned her heated gaze, just as the song came to a close. She carefully shifted out of his hold and curtseyed deeply, before moving quickly though the crowd towards Elijah. She may have been bold in her declaration, but she was not willing to go without the protection of his siblings. She was only human after all._

.

The plantation may have diminished, the acres of land surrounding the mansion split up so it became a more modest size suitable for the newer living conditions of New Orleans. But the mansion had remained, fortress-like. And the memories contained within its walls haunted each room like ghosts. Rebekah knew them well.

She waited until Klaus had left the house to search properly for her brother.

"You. Wolf girl." Rebekah snapped at Hayley, who rolled her eyes and stood up waiting for the rest of the apparent command.

"I'm going to search this house inch by inch until I find what my evil brother has done to my good one. You're helping."

"Aye aye, captain." Hayley saluted the blonde with mocking sarcasm, but hopped down the stairs quickly to join her. She was just as eager to find Elijah.

"First stop, downstairs." Rebekah announced, leading the brunette towards a descending spiral staircase. "The governor had lots of secret rooms. I'll show you his favorite."

The cellars dank darkness consumed them in a musty cloak. It took seconds for their eyes to adjust like the supernatural creatures of the night they were before Hayley's sharp sight registered…

"Coffins." She breathed.

Rebekah sighed exasperatedly. "A special Klaus-form of torture that I'm sure you have inherited a liking for. Klaus gets his jollies from keeping us in a box, until he decides to pull the dagger out. That must be what he's done to Elijah. This one's mine." She said, gesturing to a black coffin with a plaque. Sure enough, as Rebekah brushed off the dust, her name was uncovered, stamped into the gold plate.

"He keeps your coffin on standby." Hayley realised, her stomach churning.

Rebekah regarded the three coffins with a tinge of sadness. "He likes to be prepared for when his family members inevitably disappoint him." Her eyes glanced over to the two that stood beside hers. Finn's – never to be filled again, god rest his soul – and Kol's, hopefully never to be used either. "Elijah's isn't here – he must've stashed him elsewhere."

Hayley couldn't take her eyes off the sleek black coffins. "I feel sick."

"Welcome to the family, love." Rebekah smirked, not falling for the wolf girl and her batting eyelashes. "Like being related to the crazy hybrid? You should've run the second you realized Elijah was gone."

Hayley huffed. "Yeah, well, the witches have put some sort of hex on me. I'm linked to this girl, Sophie Deveraux. As long as I'm linked, I can't leave New Orleans."

Rebekah dusted her hands in front of her. "Well, knowing Klaus, he's planning a box for you the second you challenge his power. He'll wait till you're useful again, and then send you to sleep till he needs whatever skills you bring. That's just what he does. I'm leaving as soon as I find Elijah. Being daggered in a box for decades sucks, trust me. You'd best find a way to break that hex and run far away from all this. Or finds way to not be useful to him. I'd suggest poison." She grinned cruelly at Hayley before ascending the steps again, leaving Hayley to contemplate her options in the dark cellar.

.

Sophie jolted as the door of the bar slammed shut. She laughed at her own fear, going back to cleaning her workbench. A brush of air whooshed past her, and she knew something was up. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, usually a good indicator of some sort of supernatural activity.

"Hello?" She called, just to be safe. It could easily be anyone.

The hanging saucepans clanged together behind her, and she turned again, seeing a flash of blonde at the edge of her vision. It spurred her anger.

"Seriously, Caroline? Trying to scare me? I had nothing to do with the attack on your guys last night!" Sophie's hand found a knife on the counter, spinning as she heard a vampire approach behind her.

Rebekah Mikaelson caught the hand wielding the weapon before it touched her.

"Sophie Deveraux. My brother, Elijah, told me about you. Know who I am?"

Sophie lowered the knife regretfully. "Yeah, I know."

Rebekah smiled "Then you know we need to talk."

"Fine," Sophie allowed. "But not here. Somewhere safe."

She took the Original Blonde to Lafayette Cemetery, inviting her across the sacred ground that she knew none of Caroline's crew could follow her across. They walked along the gravel path.

"What do you want to know?" Sophie asked.

"I know plenty. What I need is your help." Rebekah glanced at the witch, wary of how much she might be involved in. As far as she knew, Sophie could have been the one to tell Klaus to dagger Elijah. "My brother has gone missing. Would you happen to know where he is?"

"Elijah?" Sophie frowned. "He was the one helping us deal with your brother in an attempt to get to Caroline. As far as I know, he should still be here."

Rebekah sighed. "Then its just as I feared. Klaus is behind it. If I had to guess, knowing Klaus's history, Elijah has a dagger in his chest." She stopped walking. "It's a magical object, you're a witch. Do a locator spell, locate the dagger, locate Elijah."

Sophie scoffed. "I can't use magic. It's punishable by death. Caroline's rules."

The Original Blonde frowned. "Caroline?" She was not about to be bested by that little blonde vampire. Rebekah had helped teach her every trick in the book. "What do you think _I'm_ going to do to you if you don't give me what I want?"

"Not much. I've been linked, so anything you do to me, you do to Hayley." Sophie stood strong with her hands on her hips, trying to muster up whatever courage she could. She was acutely aware that Rebekah could kill her on a whim. Any of the Originals could, and had done so in the past.

Rebekah scowled. "Well, luckily for you, Elijah seems to care about her, and he wouldn't be too pleased if I was the reason for her death. Otherwise I'd break your neck right here. How did Caroline get so bloody powerful, anyway? She wasn't like this when I left a hundred years ago."

Sophie glanced away from Rebekah. "Caroline has a way to tell whenever there's magic done in the Quarter. The 'how' isn't relevant."

Rebekah frowned, sensing a lack of information, but she wasn't about to search for facts that didn't involve finding her brother. "I'll tell you what's not bloody relevant – a coven of witches who can't do magic. Here's an idea: move away."

"We practice ancestral magic." Sophie explained. "This cemetery is filled with the remains of our witch ancestors. Without access to them, we're powerless. If we run, we're leaving our legacy behind – our home, our family."

Rebekah would have laughed, but she was too old. She had heard that line too many times. "Well, family's overrated. Look at me. I'm back in a city that's given me nothing but heartache, looking for a brother who is hell-bent on protecting some wolf girl and the blonde I used to call a sister, neither of whom I care for."

The witch watched Rebekah carefully. "I find that hard to believe. You're here, aren't you?"

Rebekah sniffed. "I'm here for Elijah. The instant I find him, I'm gone. He was the one who idiotically believed this ridiculous crusade would be Niklaus' redemption, by reuniting him with Caroline. And now Elijah's missing, probably at the hands of Klaus himself. And you were foolish enough to believe that Elijah could convince Klaus to go against Caroline, when everyone knows that they have a history."

Sophie shrugged. "Sure, Klaus sired Caroline. I'm aware."

The blonde laughed. "You don't understand. Caroline is not just some girl that Klaus turned into a vampire. Klaus loved her. Loved her in so many ways."

.

_She was being lashed.* She didn't know why – she never knew why – but this day was while a line of people all dressed in black passed on the dirt track nearby. She shrieked with every blow of the whip, but refused to plead. Her mother had taught her to never beg, to be strong. She missed her mother so much._

_The latest lashing bore down on her bringing her back to the present. Anger colored her vision, and she bent to pick an apple off the ground, spinning around and throwing it at the man who hurt her. It hit his chest with a thunk, and he roared, swinging the whip back –_

_Her attacker fell off his horse with a grunt, red splashing his forehead, and she spun around, worried that her newest attacker would be far more deadly._

_She was right. But luckily he wasn't going to hurt her._

"_What is your name?" The man asked her bluntly._

"_I don't have one." She replied, plain and simple. "Mama wouldn't name me till I turned ten, in case the fever took me." She swallowed thickly. "Then it took her."_

_The man blinked, almost as if he were moved by what she said. His otherwise stony façade gave nothing away. He knelt down in front of her to look her in the eye._

"_You're a survivor." He said. "And survivors need names." He squinted, almost as if he were trying to read her name from inside her own eyes, in the very depths of her soul. "How about Carolina?"_

"_Carolina?" She repeated, trying the name on her tongue to see if it fit._

"_Carolina. A song of joy." He stood and offered her his hand._

_She glanced at the man behind her, lying surely dead on the ground, and wondered if she could trust someone so ruthless. But then she looked up at the man in front of her, and knew she'd be safe in his care. She grasped his hand, and he pulled her up, guiding her back towards two figures that waited for him on the path – a man and a woman._

_Elijah turned to his sister with new-found strength. "Perhaps there is hope for our brother after all."_

.

Rebekah sat back, exhaling her breath slowly. "Caroline was just a child, beaten for the crime of being a bastard. We saved her before she was raped or sold. We took her in, raised her as if she were our family. Over time, Klaus grew to see her differently, love her differently." She looked up sharply at Sophie. "And that is why your plan will fail. All you've done is bring back together two long-lost souls. But they're both so alike in temperament at times, both so stubbornly set towards achieving their goal…without Elijah between them, this city could easily go up in flames."

The Original Blonde got to her feet and stalked off, leaving Sophie to contemplate the force she had summoned to New Orleans.

.

Caroline sat at the bar of the Old Absinthe House, sipping on a sazerac. She liked the history behind the whiskey-based drink, and liked sitting in the place that used to be inhabited most nights by pirates in the 1800s. Women hadn't been admitted into the bars, or even allowed to drink sazerac's – a mens drink. Caroline had defied convention for most of her undead life, and had eventually helped rebuy the Sazerac Bar for the Roosevelt on the condition that women be allowed in on any given day of the week. ** She smirked to herself as she sipped on the drink, savoring the subtle absinthe traced around the rim of the glass. She longed to know what some of the men who had once sat in the very barstool she occupied would think of a woman ruling the city like a king, let alone a woman who was a _vampire_.

She knew what one man thought, though. And that one man happened to stroll into the same bar on Bourbon Street after claiming his disdain for the place. Caroline rolled her eyes childishly as he sat down next to her.

"Seem's that the motto of the place is true." She sighed. "_Everyone you have known or ever will know, eventually ends up at the Old Absinthe House."_

"I'm surprised to find you at such a dive bar." He drawled, gesturing to the bartender for the same drink as Caroline before taking a seat on the barstool next to her. The place reminded him of the Mystic Falls Grill. "This is a far cry from last night's party."

"It's a reminder of times gone past." Caroline glanced across the barely unchanged bar. "One of the few places I can go and still chat to Jean Lafitte." ***

Klaus followed her gaze towards the corner of the bar that the pirate had claimed as his own in the 1800s. He thought he caught a glimpse of Lafitte's famous moustache and pirate hat before the image faded like clearing smoke.

"Is he still sore that you turned down his marriage proposal?" He chuckled.

"He had plenty of things tying him to this world. I'd hardly think I would be reason enough to stick around. But business first." She brought his attention back to the present. "The coroner called. He's got my number in case any dead tourists show up."

Klaus took his drink and slid a twenty across the counter. "Let me guess – dead tourists with a stamp on their hand and vampire blood in their veins?"

"It happens." Caroline sighed. "Someone takes a drunken tumble off a balcony, or into the Misissippi…and today, I've got two of them to deal with." Her brow furrowed. "Its not right when they don't get a choice. But at least they get a second chance of sorts." She blinked, and returned her eyes to his. "But I'd appreciate you accompanying me."

"You don't mind me interfering?" He teased.

"Nope." Caroline said, raising her glass to her lips. "Its only fair for the reigning King to show the prior one how his kingdom is now being ruled." She took another languid sip, savoring both the alcohol and the look on her sire's face.

"A far cry from the girl who was once considered a queen, fit for a king." Klaus retorted with a slightly bitter edge to his voice.

She scowled. "No. I've told you, Klaus. I am King. I need no one."

He shrugged, swallowing a mouthful of his drink to fortify himself. "I remember, love. What can I do to get myself in the King's good graces then?" He gave her a look that bordered on puppy, and it took her back to the days where he had a little more softness with her.

She did not appreciate that reminder.

Caroline studied him carefully, before exhaling. "Have some patience. Its been a hundred years. You've got a lot of ground to catch up on." She finished the last of her drink and placed the glass on the counter, standing up and shrugging on her coat.

As she turned to leave, Klaus' fingers wrapped gently around her wrist, anchoring her to him.

"Then how about I start with a drink." He suggested. "Tonight. I'll take you out someplace nice."

His eyes were impossibly blue. She had somehow forgotten just how powerful his gaze was.

"I'll take it under consideration." Caroline said with a faint smile, before nodding her head towards the street. "Still want to see what I do with the new recruits?"

Klaus smirked triumphantly, downing his sazerac and following her.

.

Hayley walked down the street towards Jardin Gris, aided in her search by the map on her phone. She was apprehensive about the plan, even though it had been of her own devising, but she knew it was the only way out of the hell she had landed in.

She realized her plan might backfail, however, as she saw the shopkeeper Katie locking up the shop.

"Hey, hey!" Hayley started to run towards the woman.

Katie turned in surprise, before shrugging. "We're closed, sorry."

"I just need one teeny, tiny little herb." Hayley cajoled. "Please?"

Katie watched her before shifting her weight to one hip. "Which herb?"

Hayley looked down, wondering if she could find a way to get into the shop and find the herb herself. But the likelihood of that happening without Katie knowing what she was up to was slim. "Crushed aconite flower."

"Wolfsbane?" Katie's eyes widened. "That's a poison. You're gonna kill a wolf?"

"Just cure one." Hayley said casually. ~

Katie caught on to what she was suggesting. "Give me a minute." She ducked into the shop. Hayley waited out the front, glancing left and right. If she was spotted by Klaus, she wasn't sure what would happen. He'd happily kill her, no doubt.

The witch appeared again, holding out a vial for the wolf girl. "Cut it with jimson weed. A few drops in some hot tea – that should do it."

Hayley took the vial with a determined expression, pressing some crumpled bills into Katies palm. She kept her fingers uncurled, pressing the money back towards Hayley.

"It's an ugly town for wolves." Katie admitted quietly to Hayley. "You're doing the right thing."

Hayley set her jaw and nodded. "Thanks." She pocketed the vial before hurrying off down the street.

Katie watched her leave before pulling out her phone. "Hey, wanna gain points?" She asked her caller with a smile. "Tell Caroline there's a werewolf trying to hide from her in the Quarter. She doesn't know that the dose of wolfsbane I gave her will kill her.''

.

"You take me to the nicest places, love." Klaus teased as they strode down a ramp into an abandoned car park.

Caroline's heels clicked against the concrete like claws. "Listen, I know you think your old school humor is funny and all, but I've got work to do." She shot him a look with her eyebrows raised, and he made a show of closing his mouth, his expression stating that he'd be quiet, promise.

She nodded to Thierry and Marcel, and they opened the doors of the coroners van parked in the middle of the lot.

"Welcome to the land of the newly dead." Caroline greeted the two party-goers sweetly. "I'm guessing you filled them in already." She said to Marcel.

"To be honest, not much in the way of potential here." Marcel replied.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I just lost some nightwalkers. Its time for new recruits." She turned back to the two panicked people. "I'll keep this quick: that itch, that hunger – that's for human blood. Drink it, and you'll be a vampire. If you don't, you'll die again, this time for good."

Caroline glanced at Klaus over her shoulder. "Blonde girl or gay best friend?"

He considered the two with a critical eye. "Dealer's choice."

"Dealer's choice." She repeated with a grin, pulling a coin from her pocket. "Okay. Whoever picks up this coin gets to live forever. The other one dies. Go."

Caroline placed it on the edge of their black body bags, and only a moment later the girl snatched it up.

"How could you?" The boy accused her.

"Get over it, Josh!" She snapped back. "Its not like I had a choice. You would have done the same thing if you weren't such a little – "

Caroline broke the girls neck with a crack that rang out through the silent parking lot. She calmly zipped up the bag as if nothing had happened.

"Let her die in cold storage." She said to Thierry over her shoulder, before locking eyes with Klaus. "I've still got a sore spot about people who betray those they ought to care about." She admitted with a smile that contradicted her words. She remembered his biggest betrayal just as well as he did, a hundred years ago, though she did not wish to relive it. He watched her as quietly as he had promised.

Caroline turned back to the boy. "Josh, is it?" He nodded. "C'mon, we've got a lot to talk about." She hopped out of the back of the car, not bothering to wait for him as he scrambled out of the bag and the van to follow her.

_._

Caroline motioned for Klaus to take Josh to the car as she took a call.

"_Another Original has been spotted in town."_ Her informant spoke quickly, no need for introductions. _"Rebekah Mikaelson. Know her?"_

"We have a bit of history." Caroline replied. She felt eyes on her from above, and hung up without another word. In a matter of seconds, she vaulted herself up the multistory car park, landing on her platform heeled feet in front of Rebekah herself.

"Rebekah Mikaelson." Caroline greeted.

Rebekah had the grace to look only slightly shocked at her surprise appearance.

"The last time I saw you, the city was going up in flames and you were all fleeing the city from your father." She continued.

Rebekah swallowed. "I thought you were dead."

"You never looked back to find out." Caroline shot back at her. "Never checked to see what your brother had done." She took a deep breath, recalling the fond memories of her and Rebekah fencing, horse riding, telling each other secrets like sisters. "Why are you here?"

"Elijah." Rebekah admitted instantly. "I think Klaus has done something to him."

"I was only talking to him the other day – " Caroline frowned, then shook her head. "No. No, no, no. If there is one thing I've learned about the Mikaelsons, it would be that I should never get in the middle of a family feud."

"You were the reason for half of those feuds." Rebekah reminded her. "Like the time we put ink in Elijah's coffee. Or when we convinced Kol that a witch had cursed him and he was moral again."

"He obsessed over his face in the mirror searching for wrinkles for days." Caroline smiled. "Or when I wanted to keep that flea-bitten cat for a pet and Nik put up such a fuss."

Rebekah smiled, both at the memory and at the girl she still considered a sister using a nickname for her vile brother.

Caroline exhaled, allowing the happy memories to pass. "The cat didn't last long in the house. Klaus saw to that."

Rebekah shook her head. "Even after all you've achieved, you're still scared of him."

"I'm not scared of anyone." Caroline said coldly.

"No?" Rebekah studied her. "Not fear…surely you don't still care for him. Surely you don't still lo – "

''No.'' Caroline gritted, her tone icy. ''I can only hate him for what he did.''

Rebekah watched Caroline thoughtfully. ''Love and hate are intertwined. From passionate hatred, passionate love can grow.''

"And from passionate love, hatred can grow back tenfold. While each chat with you is enlightening, Rebekah." Caroline interrupted, her pleasant mood vanishing entirely. "I refuse to get involved. If Elijah is missing, then he is missing."

Rebekah bristled. "If I find out you know where Elijah is, you needn't fear Klaus. I'll kill you myself."

"So be it." Caroline agreed. "I've got to run anyway. Lets catch up and bring our manners next time." And with that, she launched herself over the edge of the building gracefully like a jungle cat.

.

"_Nik!" Carolina exclaimed as she walked through the library doors._

"_Carolina," He replied in a similar voice, smirking._

"_It is my seventeenth birthday." She continued, walking up to his armchair with her hands clasped in front of her._

"_I am aware of that." Klaus said with humor._

_Carolina smiled and started rushing. "And I know it is a year before you said I would be ready, but I was just – "_

"_No, Carolina." Klaus said simply, returning to the book of poetry he had been reading prior to her arrival._

"_Nik!" She stomped her foot in exasperation, causing him to chuckle._

"_You are only proving my point further, love." He looked up to where she pouted. "You are not ready."_

_Carolina folded her arms. "It is as if my life means nothing to you."_

_Klaus closed his book with a furrow in his brow, but she continued regardless._

"_Every day, Nik, I am aging. Every day, I am susceptible to the fever, to being taken off the streets – "_

"_You pain me, sweetheart, with the idea that we wouldn't protect you." Klaus interrupted her harshly. "Your life means something to me. You know that."_

"_Every day I get closer to death." Carolina continued, looking him straight in the eye. "I don't want death, Nik. I want eternity. I want eternity with you."_

_Klaus held her gaze for a moment before sitting forward in his chair. She thought she may have won him over, until he smiled at her. It wasn't the smile that would grant her wishes. It was the smile that told her she still had a wait ahead of her._

"_You promised you would turn me." Carolina reminded him with exasperation._

"_And I will, love." Klaus replied softly. "All in good time."_

.

She stormed up to Klaus like a hurricane.

"Problem, love?" He quipped right before she grasped him by the collar and slammed him against the side of the car.

"You're a dick, you know that?" Caroline growled. "Why didn't you tell me your sister's back in town?"

Klaus rested his head against the roof of the car and shouted a laugh towards the sky. "I thought it would be more amusing for you to find out for yourself. Turns out I was right."

"Is there anything else that I need to know?" She asked between clenched teeth. Though she might not have shown it, she was worried about Elijah's absence. He meant something to her. He was like the father she had never truly had and the older brother she had been born without. And Kol had been the pesky, annoying, lovable brother. And Rebekah had been her sister she had longed for. And Nik had been – _everything_.

But no longer.

"Only that Rebekah has grown considerably more insane in the last century." Klaus said, still facing the heavens. Caroline jerked him upright till they were face to face, still gripping him by the front of his shirt.

"Keep your sister in line."

Klaus' eyes burned as they gazed into her own. "You know I can't do that."

"No? Then maybe Elijah can." Caroline challenged, eyes narrowing to gauge Klaus' reaction.

He shrugged, and she knew.

"Where is Elijah?" She asked in a cold, quiet voice that countered her fierce grip on his shirt. She had learnt that tone from him, had heard him use it time and time again as she grew up into his perfect protégée, had practiced it herself until she too was just as fearsome.

"I can't quite recall, sweetheart." Klaus crooned. "My deepest apologies."

Caroline hated him. She hated him.

And yet.

And yet with his face this close to hers, his breath whispering across her mouth, it made her feel things she had thought were long buried and burned.

Caroline let go of his shirt as if it were suddenly drenched in vervain. Her phone rang, giving her reason to break eye contact. He smirked as she answered the ringing mobile.

"Yes?" She barked into the phone.

"_Just got a tip off. Someone saw a werewolf in Bienville Park."_

Caroline glared at Klaus as if he were the reason her life was falling apart – and it was sort of true – and she paced a few steps away.

"Get a couple nightwalkers to run it down. Bring me back its head."

"I guess that solves the mystery of the murdered riffraff." Klaus said.

Caroline shot him a look. She still had her suspicions of who had killed her vampires.

"I'm staying out of your family drama." She said. "Do me the same courtesy and stay out of mine." She stormed off before he could answer.

"What time will I see you tonight then?" He called after her retreating back.

"How about a quarter to never." She snapped.

He was in front of her in a flash. "I was promised a date."

"Sure, a date, like to some show where we don't have to talk and I can put at least three seats between us." She scowled up at him.

"Surely the great ruler of New Orleans wouldn't go back on her word." Klaus reminded her silkily. "Particularly after all the disappointment you felt over my own indiscretions in the past."

The many times he had let her down over the years flashed across her mind, followed by the many times he had made it up to her again. When she focused on him again, she was almost certain that he had brought up those memories from the way he touched the bare skin of her arm, as if to steady her.

"Fine. I'll see you at eight." Caroline huffed. "And while you might want to continue to be a gentleman like this, don't even think about getting me so much as a corsage, you understand?"

* * *

Hi!

Thank you to all the lovely readers who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story already. I know that several of you can't stand Hayley, so thank you for being understanding in my attempts to make her more likeable. Never fear, though. Klaus clearly is itching to kill someone. Anyone's lives are up for grabs.

Also, if you have a genuine question you would like answered, message me! unlike our vampires, I don't bite (unless I'm hungry of course).

Read, review, and the next update will be sometime this weekend!

xx

Ps. I have also proven what a nerd I can be and included some small facts that are indicated in the story with a * or ~

_* _Lashings - There is historical evidence that supports the existence of both white and black slaves in America. There is also accounts of girls being whipped in various cultures across the world, and far too many accounts of slaves being whipped for various deeds.

** Caroline drinking at the Old Absinthe House - While women may or may not have been allowed to drink certain drinks in certain bars, women protested being kept out of the Sazerac Bar that has since been relocated to The Roosevelt Hotel. They had previously only been allowed in on Mardi Gras, but in 1949 the bar was bought by Seymour Weiss, manager of the Roosevelt, and he allowed women in as equal customers.

*** Jean Lafitte - A pirate who also worked with General Andrew Jackson to defend New Orleans against the British in 1815, is said to haunt the Old Absinthe House along with various other ghosts of famous people who have visited the bar which was built in 1806 and opened as a saloon bar in 1815. The original bar was destroyed at the start of Prohibition, and moved to a different location before being returned to its original conditions in 2004. There are also claims that ghostly parties take place during the night, which could tie in well with Caroline's reign of New Orleans supernatural night life.

~ Hayley and wolfsbane - In medieval Europe, wolfsbane was not only used to kill werewolves, but also cure them of their curse. While it may not be completely current with Vampire Diaries mythology, there's no telling whether or not Hayley might have bought into the idea of curing herself despite it potentially not being true.


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus walked down Toulouse Street with an amused Caroline by his side.

"I think its my turn to say that you take me to the nicest places." She quipped, and he shrugged.

"Say what you will, love. I figured that this would be an interesting place for you."

"How so?"

"A trip down memory lane." He stopped in front of an alleyway where they could see an axe hanging above a doorway with the words 'Ye Olde Original Dungeon' printed in dark red script.

Caroline laughed. "The vampire bar? That's more of a mockery than a memory."

Klaus shook his head, leading the way to the large oak door protecting the entrance to the bar without another word. The pair made their way through the claustrophobically small halls lined with skulls, passing by the seats in comically large cages and the particularly large throne best suited for prospective kings. Both Caroline and Klaus didn't need more proof of their battle for the throne of New Orleans. They ordered their drinks of 'midnight potion' and settled in the outside courtyard where it was quiet enough for conversation.

"So," Caroline started before sipping on her drink. "Would you care to explain what you mean when you say 'memory lane'?"

Klaus rested his forearms on the table between them with a smirk. "I'm surprised you don't know. You of all people would know New Orleans like the back of your hand."

She scowled at him petulantly. "Tell me already. I'm not in the mood for guessing games."

"Pity." He teased. "Just around the corner from here is a certain household that influenced this bar's creation."

Caroline paled. "The Sultan's Palace."

_(warning: graphic details ahead)_

_1838._

_Carolina strolled down Orleans Avenue without a care. She was returning home to the Mikaelsons. She had paid a visit to some ladies in the town. She would have taken Rebekah with her, but she had been in the library with Marcellus when Carolina left. And everyone knew that whenever Marcellus and Rebekah were in the library, they wanted to be left alone. Even Niklaus accepted this, rather begrudgingly, but with encouragement from Carolina._

_The blonde girl smiled to herself, distracted by her own happiness when she suddenly bumped into a broad shouldered gentleman. She stumbled back with a start before smiling and nodding politely._

"_Apologies, sir, I was not watching where I was going."_

_The man smiled at her in a way that set her nerves on edge. She made to move around him, but he casually blocked her path._

"_No, the fault was mine." He said slowly. "Are you alright?"_

"_Perfectly fine." Carolina said shortly._

"_Shall I make amends? Perhaps you would like to accompany me to town for a drink?" The man had taken her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm before she could protest, walking swiftly in the opposite direction of town._

_Carolina stumbled along next to him, completely unprepared for what was going on. As they neared the corner, she started to speculate about where she was headed. The Sultan had only moved in a year ago, but rumors had already spread about his harem of young girls, and the ones who were snatched off the street to replace the old._

"_No!" She scrambled, but before she could do much more, a steady arm was around her waist, pulling her away from the man. She turned, ready to scratch and struggle with her new attacker, when she realized who he was._

"_Niklaus," Carolina breathed in relief._

_Klaus was too busy glaring at the man she had been hustled by._

"_Everything alright, love?" Klaus asked in a dangerous voice, his eyes glinting as he watched the man._

_Carolina's attacker faltered. "Perfectly alright, sir. I am sure she is perfectly alright. The young lady here was lost – "_

"_How peculiar, when I would dare to say she knows this city like the back of her hand." Klaus' hand suddenly lashed out and clenched around the man's jaw. "Who do you work for?"_

"_Prince Suleyman." The man said as Klaus' compulsion took over his mind._

"_And what were you going to do to her?"_

"_I was ordered to find new girls."_

"_For what?" Klaus' tone was sharp._

"_For the Sultans own personal purposes."_

_Klaus growled, his eyes already growing red, but Carolina tugged on his arm._

"_Niklaus, no. Not in the middle of the street."_

"_This man was prepared to kidnap you to become part of a harem." Klaus snarled, not taking his eyes off his prey._

"_He was just following orders." Carolina tried to say soothingly. "He isn't the man you are truly angry with."_

_Klaus made no sign that he had heard her._

"_Please, Nik." She said in a small voice, and he finally turned to look at her. She was wide eyed, holding back shudders, and he realized what an emotional toll this was taking on her._

"_You will remember none of this." Klaus said finally to the man._

_When Carolina and Klaus reached the safe confines of the courtyard of the house, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her._

"_Why were you alone?" He demanded._

_Some of her fierceness came back in response to his. "Why can't I be alone?"_

"_Because you were almost taken off the streets."_

"_I would have been fine."_

"_Really?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Well then, why did you not bother to even defend yourself?"_

_Carolina blinked, finally remembering what she really was. She was a vampire. He had turned her so long ago, he had shown her how to turn others into vampires, as she had done with Marcel only three years before. Why had she not bothered to use her supernatural abilities?_

"_Nik, what the bloody hell are you doing?" Rebekah's voice sounded in warning._

_Klaus still towered over Carolina, his hands like vices around her upper arms. "How did it not even cross your mind that you could have snapped him in two and escaped?"_

"_I didn't want to hurt him!" She burst out._

"_He would have gladly hurt you!" He countered. "In this life, it is kill or be killed. You should know that by now."_

"_Niklaus," Elijah's voice now rang out next to them. "She has never had to kill anyone. Nor has she ever had to defend herself from anyone but you."_

_Carolina blinked back traitorous tears that showed how truly shaken she was by the events that had just passed. She blamed it on the fact that she was a vampire and her emotions were heightened, but she knew that any girl would have been traumatized by an attempted kidnapping for sexual purposes, vampire or no. Especially when they had someone as violent as Klaus berating them afterwards._

_Klaus looked down at her, his grip not yielding, the anger slipping from his face. He exhaled, and Carolina realized that it wasn't simple anger he felt towards her – it was fear. He was afraid of losing her. The tears slipped from her eyes more readily now, and she was pulled away from Klaus and into Rebekah's comforting embrace, the older girl stroking her hair soothingly._

"_What happened?" Elijah asked his brother._

_Klaus turned to him. "That so-called prince that moved into LaPrete's house on Dauphine Street. Carolina was almost snatched for his harem."_

_Elijah's face visibly tightened. "I presume that a retaliation is in order."_

"_Just so." Klaus replied with a grim smile that did not bode well for whoever he plotted against._

_The next morning, Carolina awoke next to Rebekah. The Original had stayed by Carolina's side all night, allowing her to properly cry and not making her feel weak in the slightest. The two blondes rose and went down to breakfast in a subdued mood that lightened when they encountered Kol at the breakfast table._

"_Morning, my ladies." He grinned, making Carolina smile immediately._

"_Morning, Kol." She replied, before sitting and pouring tea for herself and Rebekah._

_Elijah was already sitting at the table with the paper. "Good morning sisters." He said pleasantly, making Carolina's smile grow. She would always love being called sister by the Mikaelsons. It made her feel as though she had a family._

_"Good morning, Elijah." Rebekah greeted him amiably, glancing across the table to where Marcel usually sat. "Where is Marcellus?"_

_"He rose early for a swim in the Mississippi." Kol answered in lieu of his brother. _

_"Any good news today, Elijah?" Carolina asked._

_Elijah shot a glance over at Kol that went unnoticed by the two blonde girls. "Nothing particular." He replied._

_Klaus chose that moment to walk in. "Morning," he greeted his siblings, before his eyes landed on Carolina. "Good morning, Carolina."_

_She caught her breath at the intensity of his gaze, and looked down at the toasted bread she had been applying jam to, focusing on the task more than necessary. Things between her and Klaus had been strange enough of late without the addition of feelings and desires. He had sired her, he had raised her, she shouldn't feel this way._

_But she did._

"_Funny report in the paper this morning." Kol cut across the tension as he scanned through a section of the paper that Elijah had already placed aside. His older brother glanced at him sharply, shaking his head in a definite 'no'._

_Rebekah finally spied their odd exchange. "What, Kol?"_

"_I have already read the article, Rebekah." Elijah said with as casual an air as possible. "It would not amuse you."_

_She scowled, sensing that something was being hidden from her. In an instant, the paper left Kol's hands and she stood on the other side of the room, pouring over the article he had mentioned._

"_A terrible sight was beheld at the corner of Dauphine and Orleans when a passer-by noticed blood seeping out from under the front door…" Rebekah looked up at the three men sharply. "What did you do?"_

"_We did nothing – " Elijah started._

_Kol cut across his words with a different tune. "Read on and find out, dear sister."_

"_Upon entering the house, body parts were strewn across every room. The floor was awash in blood. No living soul remained." Rebekah wanted to be more horrified, but she had seen her brothers perform massacres across several centuries, and had helped them on more than one occasion._

_Carolina, however, had not experienced this before. "Did you do this?" She questioned Klaus._

_He placed a hand on his heart as if wounded. "I am shocked, love, that you would think so low of me." He smirked. "I would never let such blood go to waste."_

"_That was Elijah's idea." Kol said, causing Elijah to exhale slowly through his nose._

"_I merely stated that it would send a clear message to anyone in similar circumstances. It was not a simple 'idea', it had more purpose." He settled in his chair. "Besides, we only killed the guilty ones. The innocent were set free."_

"_However, the carnage was not confined to the house." Rebekah read on with a gasp. "The courtyard revealed the remains of the master of the house, Prince Suleyman, buried in the soil. He had sustained injuries to the legs and ribs, but appears to have spent his last moments choking and clawing at dirt as he was buried alive…" Rebekah looked up towards Klaus, and Carolina turned._

"_Before you accuse me, love," Klaus cut in. "Yes, that was my work. And I shall not apologize for it. He tried to take what was mine, and paid the adequate price."_

_Carolina remained frozen for a moment, before wrapping her arms around his neck and anchoring herself to him. He stood still, uncertain about how to react, before he found his arms winding around her waist and pulling her closer in response._

.

"The owners were clearly influenced by the exotic, gruesome rumors." Klaus said, bringing Caroline back to the present with a jolt. *

"Well its hardly anything to remember." She snapped. "That was a whole other lifetime ago."

"Indeed." Klaus said over the rim of his drink.

It was Caroline this time who leaned across the table towards him. "Listen, I don't know what you're trying to play at here, Klaus, but its not going to work. You can be as charming as you'd like, but that doesn't change anything. You're not good for me. I need someone good for me, not someone that's – "

"Tragically wounded and damaged by demons he can't escape." Klaus finished for her, his eyes locked on hers, drawing her in.

She fought the allure tooth and nail. "We're all damaged. But you're not good for me."

"Perhaps," He said, glancing down and away from her eyes to mask his emotions. "But I still believe that one day you'll turn up at my door and let me show you the world outside New Orleans."

"Its not like I haven't seen the world." Caroline countered defensively.

"But not for more than a week at most, I'll wager." Klaus replied. "Couldn't leave the empire by itself for too long."

"Well life here is enough for me." She said. "I'll meet someone good for me here."

He leaned forward so they were inches away from each other as their arms rested on the table. "Really, sweetheart? You continue to cling to the idea of meeting someone here who is good for you? You don't need someone who is good for you. You need someone who challenges you, compliments your life. Someone who will ruffle those perfect feathers of yours." Klaus smirked. "You mark my words. All you will find in someone who is good for you is a small town boy and a small town life in the city that you rule. It won't be enough for you."

Caroline took his words in, torn between her anger and the desire that rose up in her when he was this close. All it would take to shut him up in the most pleasant way possible would be for her to lean that extra inch closer and press her mouth to his, biting his lips to counter his biting words, soothing his hurtful tongue with her own.

But she clung to the fact that he was only trying to gain the upper hand on her, and it spurred her anger.

"You may have known me intimately a century ago, Niklaus, but do not assume to know me now." She said coolly, before standing, downing her drink, and sauntering out, not once glancing back to see him watch her leave.

.

Hayley sat on a bench in Bienville Park. She couldn't do it in the safe security of the house the Mikaelson's were using as their base. It seemed wrong. Especially if, god forbid, it worked, and she wasn't a werewolf anymore. She tried to focus on the return to normalacy, not being swept up in a supernatural world, feeling free to go out to clubs and dance on the night of a full moon rather than cower in the basement in fear of hurting someone or run through the woods wondering if she would wake up a human girl again in the morning. But she knew she would miss this. The feeling of being at one with the world around her. As stupidly zen as it sounded, she would miss it.

Hayley glanced up at the moon filtering down through the leaves to touch her face, before dripping the wolfsbane into the cup of water she had obtained from a nearby shop. Her hand shook, and she took a breath to steady herself.

"Come on, Hayley." She muttered. "One upset stomach and all this stupid drama is ancient history."

No more wolf. No more running in the moonlight. No more pack comradery. She had no pack.

But she could. The witches had said that her ancestors pack had been driven out to the bayou, but they still existed. She could have a family. And didn't she already have a family through the Mikaelsons?

But she wasn't ready for this mess. She would rather betray who she was than get caught up in this war.

Hayley lifted the cup to her lips, breathing in the toxic scent of the wolfsbane that already made her want to gag. It was worth it, though. It was worth it.

Was it worth it?

No.

She lowered the cup with a sigh, the contents still untouched. She pondered what to do with the poisonous mixture, and froze as a branch snapped behind her.

Hayley stood in a whirl, her eyes scanning the darkness around her. A sudden scent of vampire behind her made her turn with her heart in her mouth.

The vampire behind her chuckled. "Dumb move, coming into the Quarter. You're coming with me, _wolf_."

Hayley gritted her teeth, anger welling up inside her. "I have had it up to here with vampires telling me what to do." She threw her only available weapon – the cup full of herbs – into his face, causing him to hiss with pain. She spun around to start running, only to come face to face with two more vampires.

_These guys are like chicks at a bathroom! _She thought snarkily to herself. _They cant go anywhere alone._

A flash of blonde made her falter, and she stood still as she recognized her new attacker. Rebekah snapped the neck of one man before ripping the heart out of the other with barely a blink of a mascaraed eye.

"That is no way to treat a lady." She scolded the vampires who were now dead on the ground. "I do hate bad manners." She threw the heart on the ground.

Hayley knew she should have been accustomed to the violence by now, but she hadn't ever seen Rebekah kill so carelessly, even in Mystic Falls.

"Hello?" The blonde raised her eyebrows at Hayley, and the wolf girl realized that she was expected to leave.

"Right. Yeah." She murmured to herself as she followed Rebekah.

.

Klaus arrived at the mansion only moments after Rebekah made the call to tell him what had happened. His night had already not gone as planned before this latest drama had occurred. He was in a foul mood.

"_This_ is why I told you never to leave the house." He scolded Hayley as he stacked the vampire bodies on top of a pyre in the front courtyard. Rebekah couldn't help but think of the memory so many years ago where she stood by and watched Klaus berate another girl in another courtyard for leaving the house without his knowledge.

"Werewolves are banned in the Quarter." Klaus continued. "I had a plan, and your little night-time stroll put it all in peril." A vampire stirred with a groan in the pile, and Rebekah started towards him, but Klaus shot out a hand that made her freeze.

"Leave him." He commanded before turning his anger on her. "You've done enough, don't you think? Leaving a trail of bodies like a road map to my door?"

Rebekah bristled. "If I hadn't overheard this lot bragging about werewolf heads, everyone here would be screwed." She hissed. "And don't give me that crap about having a plan. You've had all the time in the world to execute a plan, and no one's seen you do a damn thing! Elijah made a deal to protect your descendent, and your past lover too, all so that we could save you from your selfish, rotten self. But you obviously don't give a damn about Hayley or Elijah or me, or even Caroline, because what have you done to prove any feelings for any of us?"

"I have done _everything_." Klaus snarled. "Let me spell it out for you, shall I? From the day I arrived, Caroline hasn't trusted me. From Day One, she has had her vampires ingest toxic vervain which, as you know, little sister, protects them from my mind control." Klaus thought back to his plot which had, up till now, run like clockwork. "I needed a spy, someone on the inside with me who Caroline would never suspect. So, I created a Day Zero and got there first. Caroline had just lost six vampires, thanks to your little murder spree, and she needed new recruits. So I made the new one mine, before he'd had even a drop of vervain." Compelling Josh had been so easy, and Rebekah had even helped him by creating a little distraction for Caroline, not that he would ever admit that to his sister.

"But we all know the real way to a girl that you - dearest sister - helped raise, is through her heart," He taunted Rebekah. "So I have started to court her again, date her, remind her of the redeeming qualities she once saw in me."

"You have no redeeming qualities." Rebekah snapped.

"Luckily I don't have to win you over." Klaus retorted. "Ergo, I don't care what you think." He turned and caught the collar of the last living vampire, dragging him towards the front door. "And this one, I'm going to drain him of vervain, compel him to believe his mates found religion and moved to Utah, so that he can explain to Caroline why she lost three more vampires tonight." He unceremoniously dumped the vampires just inside the front door before continuing into the house, Hayley and Rebekah in tow.

Klaus turned with his arms spread wide like a magician revealing his trick. "Does anyone have anymore questions?" The girls shook their heads. "No? Good, because I have a question." His gaze zeroed in on the brunette girl. "Hayley. What were you doing in the bloody French Quarter in the first place?"

The girl faltered, knowing his anger would only grow if she said what she had really been up to.

"Answer me!" Klaus growled.

"Leave her be." Rebekah defended her, but Hayley opened her mouth to respond. She was going to get killed anyway.

"You wanna know what I was doing?" She snapped. "I was buying wolfsbane, so I could kill my wolf side and become human again, so I could leave this miserable place."

Red washed across Klaus' vision and he was across the room and pinning her to the wall with one hand around her neck before anyone could react.

"Nik!" Rebekah gasped, but Klaus didn't care.

_"Wolfsbane?"_ He snarled. "An old wives tale to cure the werewolves curse. It doesn't cure. It just kills. But if you wanted to be dead, little wolf, you just had to tell me."

Hayley's blunt nails scrabbled at his hand as his grasp tightened threateningly.

_"Nik!"_ Rebekah screamed at him, rushing over to pull him away from the girl. "Keep your hands off her! She is the last of your bloodline, for God's sake." She put her hands on his shoulders. "She is family now. And its okay to care about that. Its okay to need family. That's all Elijah was trying to prove to you, all he's ever wanted to achieve for you. All _we've_ ever wanted."

"I couldn't care less about you or anyone." Klaus snarled unsteadily.

"This isn't about Hayley, is it." Rebekah realised. "This is about Caroline."

.

1843

_Klaus sat at the bar, his evening finery covered in blood. The bodies of pirates and rogues lay in heaps around him, wherever he had deigned to drop them. Blood soaked through the floorboards, varnishing them in a deep ruby red. He drank his bourbon without care._

_But even that was a lie. He cared. He cared deeply. And vampires, Original vampire, did not care, did not love. Perhaps that was a lie too._

_A blonde angel picked his way through the wreckage to stand by his side._

_Klaus did not sense her approach, but the second that she entered his line of vision, his hand shot out to clasp her by the throat._

_Carolina met his fiery gaze with a steely blue one of her own. "Are you going to kill me?"_

_Klaus flinched, which was a far greater reaction than Carolina's. "Do you really think that low of me?"_

_Carolina glanced around the remains of her favourite bar in town, and all she saw was destruction. "Yes."_

_His hand tightened for a fraction of a second, before he loosened his grip and returned to his drink. His limbs shook, whether from restrain of his violence or his emotions. _

_"Well then, I hope I have provided enough proof, love." He gestured to the carnage around them. "I'm a monster."_

_"A monster." She repeated with a quirk to her lips. "So am I. But this. This isn't the work of a monster. This is the work of a broken man."_

_Klaus abruptly threw his half drained glass at the wall behind Carolina, where it burst like a shooting star and scattered into pieces, twinkling in the pools of blood they fell into. "I am more than a man, my dear. I am king."_

_"And does a king give in to the whims and pressures of others? Does a king let himself fall into this squalorous mood?" Carolina faced his fury with her own passionate reply. "No. A king remains strong."_

_Klaus turned his face away from her light, and she reached out to softly hold his face between her small palms. "I know. I know this is hard for you, not finding what you seek. But one day, you will find the doppelgänger. You'll free your wolf side." The light of the full moon filtered in from the broken windows to frame her beautiful features, the expression on her face something so full of light and love that it almost broken his cold, unfeeling heart._

_"You have too much faith in me." He murmured, barely allowing himself this one moment of weakness. She read him like a book sometimes. He could not even fathom why she wanted to stay with him after seeing him like this. It happened every full moon when he willed his body to shift, before finally giving in to the pure murderous rage that filled his body. "Why do you stay?"_

_"I know you're in love with me." She said calmly, stating it as if it were a fact he had told her every day rather than something he was far too frightened to say. "And that love will always be here to stay."_

_._

The memory assaulted him just as violently as he had grabbed Hayley. And he knew why. It was because he had failed. He had failed Caroline all those years ago, and he would continue to fail - to fail his family, and himself. Much as he despised to admit it even in the secret recesses of his own mind, he had needed Caroline and the love and light she brought to his dark work. And he still needed it now.

And it seemed he had lost it forever.

Klaus breathed heavily, uncomfortable with the confrontation of his feelings. He sat down on the stairs, staring at the marble floor. Rebekah sat down next to him, giving comfort and strength. Hayley watched the pair of them cautiously, catching her breath.

"I gave Elijah to Caroline." Klaus confessed in a dark voice.

Rebekah stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Her crew were getting antsy. They wanted Elijah gone. So I gave them a peace offering. I handed Elijah over to Marcel to get him to Caroline. I'm sure she is aware of it by now."

"You bartered our _brother_?" Rebekah very nearly hissed. No wonder Caroline hadn't known where Elijah was earlier that day. But she would know by now. Question was, would she hand Elijah back to them? While the girl may care for Elijah, they were at war now.

"I have a plan." Klaus defended his actions. "Gain the trust of Caroline and her crew, dismantle her empire, honor Elijah's wish for all of our family, extended and otherwise, to be united once more. I am executing that plan the only way I know how." He turned to Rebekah, his vicious mask of an expression back in place. "If you don't like it, there's the door. See if I care." He rose leisurely and strode up the stairs, leaving Rebekah in a state of rising panic. How the hell would she get Elijah back now?

She strode outside to cool her rage with the night air, sitting in a chair on the porch. Moments later, Hayley joined her.

"I know you probably hate me after everything in Mystic Falls…but thanks." She said softly. "I appreciate what you did in there."

Rebekah shrugged with faux nonchalance. "Us girls have got to look out for each other."

Hayley studied her. "What is it with you two? I've never understood it. You say you hate him, but the way you deal with him, its so clear. Even when you hate him, you still love him."

"I guess when you spend a thousand years with someone, deciding to quit them is like losing a part of yourself." Rebekah sighed. "And he is my brother. He looks out for me even when he hurts me. But sometimes the hate is just…so powerful." She glanced over to Hayley. "You know, I loved the son of the governor who last owned this house. His name was Emil."

"Yeah?" Hayley encouraged cautiously.

"We planned on getting married." Rebekah continued with a faint smile. "He didn't care about what kind of monster I really was. I wanted to turn him into a vampire too, but Elijah and Klaus cautioned me against it. Only Kol was on my side. Not that it mattered when Klaus snapped Emil's neck."

Hayley blanched. "Oh."

"Emil wasn't the only love of mine that Klaus killed. He did it again, and again, every time I found someone to care about. He just kept doing it until, finally, I stopped falling in love." Rebekah stared out at the moon-drenched garden with an almost wistful expression. "He said he was protecting me from my mistakes, that no one was ever good enough for his little sister. Until one day, someone was."

"Who?" Hayley asked before she could stop herself.

Rebekah smiled a heartbreaking smile. "Marcel."

.

_Marcellus spied Rebekah in the courtyard, and made his way over, careless about his lack of dress shirt. Rebekah had known he was going for a swim, and he wanted to tease her more._

_She glanced up in surprise when he appeared by her shoulder._

"_How was the river?" She asked in a slightly breathless voice._

"_It was cool…sweet." He replied, taking in how her breathing elevated, her rosebud mouth opened, her eyes widened._

"_I should go inside." Rebekah rushed out, rising to leave._

_Marcellus had had enough. He blocked her path, turning so he trapped her against one of the stone walls. She watched him, nervous, excited, anticipating. He lowered his mouth to hers as he had wanted to do since the day he laid eyes on her. She responded with enthusiasm, until she broke away from him with a gasp._

"_Niklaus will kill you." Rebekah warned._

"_Then I will die smiling." Marcellus countered with a grin, capturing her lips again._

_He was suddenly torn away from her and thrown against the wall. When the stars cleared from his vision, he saw it was Klaus, a fearsome expression dominating his features._

"_I warned you that fortune did not favor men who fell for Rebekah." He said in a low voice, before picking up a lance made of wood._

"_Nik, I beg of you!" Rebekah started, but Carolina appeared by her brothers side before she could do any more._

"_Nik, don't do this." She said soothingly. "You can't kill Marcellus."_

"_Not only can I," Klaus grated out. "I have to. I have a reputation to uphold. Moreover, I want to."_

"_I'm not asking you to forgive him. All I'm asking is that you let him live." Carolina gently laid her hand on Klaus' shoulder. "We saw the potential in him from the very first day. We took him in, protected him, you let me turn him as my first vampire. He is part of our family." She stroked her hand down the arm that still held a lance pointed towards Marcellus. "Show him the mercy that you showed me when you saved me."_

_Klaus slowly let the arm that held the weapon drop towards the ground. Rebekah let out her breath in a sigh of relief before rushing to Marcellus' side. Carolina remained with her hand laced in Klaus', pressing her temple to his shoulder._

"_Thank you."_

"_This is mercy I extend for your sake." He muttered darkly to her. "He will not get a second chance. If he defies me again, I will kill him."_

.

"Caroline saved Marcel from Klaus." Rebekah recounted to Hayley. "She soothed him, understood him in ways that none of us ever could." Her face darkened. "And now the girl I once called sister has Elijah as a peace offering in a war."

"It sounds more like Marcel might hold a grudge against Klaus." Hayley said slowly, before shaking her head. "But if you know that Caroline has Elijah, why don't you just get him back yourself?"

Rebekah chuckled without humor. "Because, if I cross my brother in the mindset he is in now, there's still a coffin downstairs with my name on it."

Hayley watched Rebekah sort through the tangle of her emotions, and decided to help her. She reached into the confines of her jacket and pulled out the daggers, wrapped in velvet.

"Oh my god." Rebekah breathed.

"I found them under your coffin." Hayley smirked. "So, if a few antique steak knives were the only thing stopping you from getting Elijah back, then here you go." She passed the daggers over to Rebekah, who accepted them gingerly before beaming at Hayley.

"I always knew you were devious for a good reason."

.

Caroline and her inner circle were out on the town, drinking every bar dry of liquor and in some places a little more that mere alcohol. Despite the boisterous mood of her fellow vampires, Caroline felt out of place. Seeing Klaus had brought back plenty of memories, but his words from earlier in the night haunted her most of all.

Marcel found her at her own small table in the corner of the bar, her fingers tracing the rim of her empty glass.

"Boy troubles?" He asked, tipping some bourbon from his cup into hers.

"Shut up, Marcel." She replied, the words lacking the snap that she usually gave to others. Despite everything, they were friends as well as everything else.

"I know the feeling." He continued as if she hadn't said anything, sitting across from her without invitation. "I've been chasing this bartender from Rousseaus. Her name is Cami."

Caroline tilted her head slightly, only vaguely interested in the story. One of Marcel's favourite past times was chasing after human girls, setting challenges for himself by not compelling, or by compelling. When you had all of eternity alone, some moped, some only occasionally sought solace, and some considered it a challenge to sleep with the entire female population of New Orlenas.

"How goes your pursuit?" She asked.

Marcel looked down into his glass before peeking back up at Caroline. She rolled her eyes.

"Stop being stubborn and ask her out on a date. Woo her, that's your challenge. A girl likes to be courted once in a while."

"Like Klaus is courting you?" He asked.

Caroline folded her arms across her chest.

"Its easy to spot you both around town." He said quietly. "Thierry and I – "

Before Marcel could continue any further, another blonde had burst into the bar. She stormed up to Caroline and Marcel's table.

"You _lied_ to me." Rebekah hissed at Caroline. "Where is my brother?"

"I told you, I haven't seen him." Caroline countered. "I'm not getting involved with this. I've had a rough night as it is."

Rebekah wasn't convinced. She grabbed Marcel by the neck before hoisting him out of his seat and into the air. She had the attention of every vampire in the bar by that time.

"Tell me where he is or I'll kill Marcel!" She barked at Caroline.

The blonde ruler of New Orleans kept her cool, sitting back in her chair and regarding Rebekah with cold eyes, the same as her sire had taught her. Memories of the good old days before the Mikaelsons had been run out of town seemed to float in the air between the two blondes.

"No, you wont." Caroline said levelly.

"Perhaps you're right." Rebekah said as she lowered Marcel to the ground, before grabbing his arm. "Doesn't mean I wont break his fingers."

"Which would be a shame, since I still can't answer your question, Bekah." Caroline said as calmly as possible, holding out her hand to still the vampires that had started to approach them from the bar.

"Don't call me that." Rebekah snarled.

"But I can." Marcel gasped as the Original blonde started bending his fingers backwards, seconds from snapping.

"Marcel?" Caroline frowned at him.

"I was about to tell you." He admitted, before turning back to his former lover. "You wanna see Elijah? Fine." Marcel glanced over to Caroline. "He's with the girl."

Caroline blinked in surprise before getting up to walk out of the bar first and lead the way. The three of them exited the bar, leaving a dozen confused vampires in their wake.

.

Caroline opened the door to the attic and strutted in. Rebekah made to follow her, but frowned at Marcel who waited by the door with a patience she didn't know he possessed. She soon found out why when she attempted to enter and was blocked by an unseen force. So this was Caroline's place.

"Invite me in." She grated.

Caroline turned with an easy air. "First I've got to ask the lady of the house." She glanced towards a screen where numerous paintings were propped up. "Davina? Come on out, sweetheart."

A petite brunette girl walked into view, coming to stand by Caroline's side. She could not have been more than sixteen at most, but there was a power in her eyes that conveyed her strength.

"Invite them in, please." Caroline said sweetly, and Davina smiled.

"Come in."

Marcel and Rebekah walked into the room, and the Original blonde made her way over to the coffin she had spied in the corner of the room. She opened it to find Elijah, his skin dark, veins webbing across his handsome face. Rebekah started to remove the dagger that kept him in his eternal slumber.

"I wouldn't do that." Davina warned her, before an unseen force pushed Rebekah's hand so the dagger returned to its original position.

She turned to face the three of them with a whirl, her eyes zeroing in on the girl. "Who the hell are you?"

"Davina." The brunette said with attitude, considering Caroline had already called her by name before. She turned to Caroline with curiousity. "She's an old one isn't she?"

"Yes." Caroline confirmed. "Rebekah is an Original, which means she can't be killed."

"She doesn't seem very nice." Davina said with a frown, eyeing Rebekah.

"She can be." Caroline smiled, glancing between Rebekah and Marcel. "As I'm sure some here would agree. But she hasn't been very nice tonight."

Davina caught on to what Caroline wished. "Then I'm afraid its time for you to leave." She said to Rebekah, before propelling her across the room with barely a twitch of her hand. The Original was knocked through window shutters that opened for her, allowing her to fall into the night.

"She'll be in a mood when she wakes up." Caroline sighed. She motioned for Marcel to accompany her to the door. "Go see to it that she's put in her old room in the house. I'll speak to her when she wakes up." Marcel nodded, walking away to do what she said, but she stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, and if you ever pull something like this again, I'll make sure to find a creative punishment for you." Caroline smiled, before grabbing him by the shirt collar so they were face to face, her hand tightening dangerously. "Don't ever forget who turned you. Don't ever forget who made you who you are today. Don't ever forget who is in charge around here." Caroline let go of his collar and smoothed out his shirt before turning and walking back towards Davina, her heels thudding against the wooden floorboards. "Me."

Davina watched the blonde approach without fear, despite seeing how angry she had been with Marcel only seconds before.

"Sorry about that unpleasantness." Caroline apologized.

Davina shrugged. "She doesn't scare me. None of them do."

Caroline smiled affectionately at the girl. "I didn't think they would. But it seems like they're here to stay."

"They don't belong here." Davina snapped.

"I'm sure Marcel agrees with you." Caroline said, her gaze darting over to the coffin. "When did he drop off this…'gift'?"

"Just this morning. He said you had told me to keep it safe." Davina frowned. "Was I wrong to trust him?"

"Maybe." Caroline bit her lip. "Either way, don't let anyone in here that isn't me from now on, okay?"

Davina nodded. "So what shall we do with him?"

Caroline walked over to look down at Elijah. He had meant so much to her back in the day. But he had still readily abandoned her at Klaus' orders. The honorable Original brother had still placed his blood family over his adopted family in the end.

"Keep him safe here. Protect him. Don't let him get hurt. He's probably better off in our hands than in Klaus'. And can I set a challenge for you, little dove? Figure out the spell that keeps him like that." Caroline smiled without warmth as she devised her latest plan in this new war. "I think its time I put the big bad wolf down."

.

When Rebekah awoke, she found herself in her old room. Caroline stood at the foot of her bed. She almost felt as if the past hundred years had simply been some terrible dream and she was late for breakfast downstairs, until she realized that both she and Caroline were wearing 21st century clothes, and Caroline was watching Rebekah with a less than friendly expression.

"Welcome back." She said to Rebekah. "You were out for quite a while."

"How did I get here?" The Original blonde murmured.

"You upset Davina." Caroline said, jogging Rebekah's memory. "I'm glad you two met. Now you can tell Klaus what he's dealing with."

"Why am I in my old room?" Rebekah frowned.

Caroline folded her arms. "Its mine now. Just like this town is mine. What was once yours and your brothers, its now mine. You gave up the keys to the city when you left us here." She inhaled slowly as she closed her eyes, and exhaled in the same measured pace. "I don't have any quarrel with you, Beks. But please, either get your brother out of New Orleans, or get him to back down. Or I'll be forced to retaliate."

She locked eyes with Rebekah once more, and Rebekah recognized the girl she knew in those cornflower blue depths. She was still there. Rebekah understood why Elijah was so eager to reunite them all as they had been in days past. She missed Caroline. She missed having a sister in a family that was far too full of brothers. She missed the way Caroline could bring sunlight into a room, the way the girl could keep a secret from anyone but Rebekah, the fun that Caroline, Rebekah and Kol had unleashed together. Most of all, she missed being able to trust Caroline.

And Rebekah could tell that Caroline felt exactly the same about her.

Caroline turned and left the room without another word, wrapping her leather jacket closer around herself like a shield.

.

Klaus paused outside Hayley's ajar door, listening. He could hear her deep even breaths and hazarded a guess that she was still asleep. He let the door swing open, thankful for its silent hinges, and entered the room. She was indeed asleep, a thin sheet cocooning her with the rest of the layers of bedcovers kicked into haphazard peaks around her.

_A restless sleeper bears a heavy conscience._ Klaus thought spitefully to himself, before walking over to her bag at the foot of the bed. Its contents had spilled out, and his careful fingers plucked a vial from the mess. He opened it, lifting it to his nose to smell it, his eyes closing to focus on the contents. His nostrils burned slightly, and he knew it was wolfsbane.

"I didn't use it." Hayley's voice sounded, gruff from sleep.

Klaus opened his eyes, slowly closing the vial before raising his eyes to meet hers. "You're awake." He said, at a loss for anything else to respond with.

She glanced away, clearly with the same idea in her head. "I could barely sleep all night. This house is like a freaking swamp sauna."

Klaus smirked slightly at her crude words, before setting the vial down and strolling over to the window.

"What stopped you?" He asked, returning to her previous statement. "You could have been free of all this…of what you inherited…" Klaus trailed off, and Hayley finally understood why he reacted so violently the night before. He was a bastard, a half cast from his family, and despite the love they clearly felt for him, he hadn't ever felt accepted. She was just as much his family now, and she had wanted to get rid of the one vital thing that they shared – the wolf. She had cast him off just as much.

"Yeah, well, when I was fighting off those vampires, I realized I wasn't just protecting myself." She admitted, watching his back. "I wanted to protect my wolf side. I wanted to do justice to the werewolf line that you and I share. It's a real bitch of a curse sometimes, but it's a part of me." Hayley sat up in the bed, drawing her knees towards her chest. "You know, my birth parents gave me up, and my adopted parents kicked me out. I'm not even going to say that I know how you feel, but I can relate."

Klaus turned to look at her, studying his distant kin. "I'm beginning to think we're a lot alike, you and I." He said finally. "We're both castoffs who have learned to fight when we're backed into a corner."

"Well we're backed into a corner now." Hayley quipped.

He smirked. "That we are." He placed a brotherly hand on her shoulder. "It's time to fight, little wolf." He moved away towards the door, but she stopped him with a question that was burning on her mind.

"This whole thing with Caroline – the deal you have with the witches, trying to take down her empire, take what's hers – Rebekah told me that you two have a complicated history. That you saved her. That you once loved each other." Hayley paused, taking in a breath. "What happened?"

Klaus turned to face her at the foot of the bed. "I made Caroline everything that she is. I treated her like royalty – like a Queen. And when my father chased me and my family from New Orleans a hundred years ago, we believed Caroline was killed – we each mourned her, in our own way." Klaus faltered, before his dark expression started to return, fueled by his anger. "Yet, when I returned, I found not only had she survived, she had thrived. Instead of seeking us out, instead of sticking together as one, she made a choice to take everything my family had built and make it her own. Now, she is living in our home, she is sleeping in our beds. I want it all back, and if I have to push her out to get it, then that's exactly what I'll do."

Any fond memories he had once had for this girl were clearly being banished far from his mind, pushed out by his rage and his quest for power and control. Though Hayley admired his drive sometimes, she knew that she should never cross him again. At least not without enough alpha power behind her. And she intended to get that, whatever it took. Klaus could help her conquer her own domain as she helped him conquer his, brother kings, so long as he did not encroach on her territory and claim.

"I'll have someone see to the air conditioning." He said before exiting the room and leaving her to ponder over what she had just learnt.

Klaus strode down the stairs, intent on carrying out the next phase of his plan, when Rebekah burst through the front door.

"You were right." She said in a voice that meant business. "Her memories, her heart – that's the key. Because of her history with us, she showed me where Elijah was, and also showed me the secret weapon of hers that you've been going on about."

"Well don't stand on ceremony." Klaus jested. "What is it?"

"It's not a 'what', it's a 'who'." Rebekah clarified. "A girl. Davina. She can't be more than sixteen, and I have never felt power like that."

"A witch." Klaus nodded in understanding.

"She's not just any witch." Rebekah warned. "She's something I've never seen before, something beyond powerful, and now because of you she has Elijah. Who knows what she could do to him, regardless of the control Caroline might have over her and the compassion she still feels for Elijah."

"Where is she?" He asked.

Rebekah frowned in concentration, staring at a point over Klaus' shoulder. "That clever bitch." She glanced back at Klaus. "I don't know."

"What?" Klaus snapped.

"She wiped my memory of the location." Rebekah's voice started to rise in panic and fury. "Caroline possesses a weapon bigger and more powerful than an Original, and you handed our brother over to her! Worse! You handed him over to Marcel! Caroline was as ignorant of the exchange as I was until I confronted them last night. There's no guessing what else could happen. How many times will Elijah forgive you? How long until his hope for your redemption finally dies?"

"I did what I had to do!" Klaus roared in retaliation. "Caroline took our home!"

"And our home is _worthless_ without family." Rebekah countered. "She never took anything. We left."

"And she did not attempt to follow." He snapped.

"You didn't leave her in conditions where she could." She glared at him, still sore over how they had left her sister, his lover, as the Mikaelsons fled New Orleans.

Klaus met her gaze levelly. "I did what was best. That does not pardon her from not seeking us out after."

Rebekah did not look convinced, but she set her jaw. "I am honoring Elijah's wishes in the only way I know how – by finding him and returning him to the land of the living. Whatever it takes. Are you going to help me?"

Klaus exhaled, nodding his head. "Whatever it takes."

* * *

Hi guys!

I know you keep asking for more Klaroline and less Hayley, but patience. I technically did a sneaky thing and wrote these before leaving for the beach, so this chapter was written and completed when I had better internet connection, so way before I got your reviews. There will be more Klaroline in upcoming chapters. Also, while there will be more flashbacks to happier Klaroline moments, Klaus still seriously betrayed Caroline when he left, and it's going to take time for her to forgive him. Plus, y'know, he's kinda also doing his usual swing of moods and flipping between missing her and starting a war with her. Ah, eternal love.

Plus I've got an interesting twist planned for Hayley that may or may not result in something deviating even further from the Originals plot line, so I'm gonna put it to an honest vote - you guys reallllllly don't like Hayley. Would you be perfectly content to see her killed off?

Kol might be catching wind of all this mayhem soon...maybe even Katherine too...who knows?

Thank you thank you to the beautiful souls who read, review, favorite and follow - it means so much to me, especially when I get all geeky over an idea like this and you seem just as invested in making a good story of the whole jumble.

Read, review, enjoy. Next chapter will be up on Wednesday.

xx

* Ye Olde Original Dungeon - The massacre is an actual ghost story of New Orleans, and is still an unsolved mass murder to this day. The bar, 'Ye Olde Original Dungeon', is apparently inspired by a variation of the ghost story. Sadly, the bar is today apparently either under new management or permanently closed. :/


	5. Chapter 5

Caroline strolled along the bank of the Mississippi, on her way to get her early morning coffee. It was a ritual she had done every morning since she had lived with the Mikaelsons, walking the path along the river to the shops in town. The restauraunt she favored now had been doing business since 1894, and she was ever the loyal customer.

A figure fell in step next to her, and she startled, whipping around with fangs bared before she recognized who they were. She growled under her breath.

"I could happily push you in the Mississippi right now."

"I'd only drag you in with me." Klaus replied, matching her angry pace. "And while I'd quite enjoy the sight of you all wet at my hand, it might cause a bit of a spectacle."

Caroline forced back the blush that threatened to climb her cheeks at the sound of his innuendo and the thinly veiled desire in his voice.

"Any reason why you're ruining my morning?" She snapped.

Klaus glanced at her with a smirk, as if he knew all about the dirty thoughts that had started to cloud her mind at his suggestive words. "Since our little outing was ruined last night, I figured I would do the right thing and buy you a drink."

"You didn't have to buy me my coffee." Caroline huffed. He knew how much she liked this small morning ritual. Surely he hadn't forgotten that.

"Caroline, you could always respond with 'yeah, thanks'." He said, mimicking her American accent poorly.

She laughed, attempting to bite back the sound and failing. "Fine. 'Yeah, thanks'."

He caught her eye and smiled, and it warmed her ten times more than the early morning sun that shone down on them. But then she remembered his brother, and frowned again.

He was going to give her eternally young face wrinkles, she swore.

"Elijah." She reminded him. "You dumped your brothers body on me."

"Terribly sorry, love." He replied light-heartedly. "Cold bodies don't go with the décor of the place I'm staying at." Klaus noticed how she set her jaw, and understood that she wasn't in the mood for games when it came to his family. "If he is so much of a nuisance to you, however, I'll happily take him back."

"Perhaps." Caroline allowed, considering the option. She knew there was no way she would simply give him back to Klaus, especially after the ordeal that must have landed Elijah in the coffin in the first place.

They walked on in silence, and it became clear to Klaus that 'perhaps' was the only response he would get for now. If he wanted Elijah back, he would have to ask her more directly than that. But not now. He could tell that she was planning something, though he couldn't detect just how malicious it may be in nature.

Caroline could tell that Klaus was up to something too. A couple hundred years with someone gave you enough information about a person to tell when they were thinking certain things. She wasn't used to him plotting against her, so she couldn't tell just how devastating a plan he was devising. Was it to rule with her? Or something more?

Regardless, the pair of them had come to a mutual understanding that they would continue their odd friendship, veiled with small threats and indescribable desire. It was palpable in the air between them.

"The Old Coffeepot?" Klaus said incredulously as they took a corner and walked up to the restaurant that Caroline frequented. "You still go here?"

"I'm nothing if not supportive of my community. They keep a table for me every morning." Caroline smiled pleasantly at him, before striding forward in the hopes that she would leave him on the sidewalk.

"Then I hope they will accept a slight change to the seating arrangements and add another chair." He kept pace with her easily. "Else it might get a little difficult with you on my lap."

Caroline whirled around to block the door. "You are not joining me." She frowned, and he grinned.

"But I'm your guest."

"And this is my own personal time." She said slowly. "_Alone_."

Klaus glanced down before looking back up at her, and she cursed every single one of his long eyelashes. It was no wonder it had taken her so long to move on with her life when he seemed to have been designed to attract her in every possible way. Whatever higher being had created him and her certainly had a lot to answer for.

"Fine," She grumbled, turning and walking up to greet the owner warmly, explaining the new seating arrangement for the day.

_._

_August 1359. I have noticed a difference in my siblings. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister, Rebekah, has grown quite indifferent to brutality. However, the true problem remains my brother, Niklaus. He continues to hide his loneliness with cruelty. Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness. _

Hayley sat on the floor by an old wooden chest. While she might be cooped up in the most isolated house in New Orleans, she wasn't above snooping, and Elijah's papers were no exception. If anything, she was a little too happy that she had come across them first. She poured over the thick book, reading his fine scripted words, till raised voices in the other room caught her attention.

"I cannot believe you disposed of those vampires without me." Rebekah pouted as she looked out the window to the burnt out pyre the vampires had been placed on the night before. "You know how I love to set things on fire."

Klaus sighed. "Was I supposed to leave them in the front yard to rot? Besides, they were my responsibility. They attacked the helpless girl who's carrying the rest of my bloodline from my swine of a father."

Rebekah rolled her eyes contemptuously. "Oh, I am _so_ moved by your newfound sense of family duties towards the girl carrying your freaky werewolf curse."

Hayley opened the door, carrying Elijah's leather-bound book like a shield. "The freaky werewolf would like to know what the plan is." She jibed

"Well, that depends what plan you mean, little wolf." Klaus smirked. "My plan for global domination, or Rebekah's plan to find love in a cruel, cruel world."

Rebekah smiled sweetly at him before grabbing a pencil from the desk she stood by and flicking it lethally in his direction. Klaus caught it easily before it could chance to impale his face, his grin widening.

"The plan to rescue Elijah." Hayley said impatiently. She'd never understand why they treated everything like such a game. "You know, the good brother. The one who is now in the possession of your apparent enemy after you _stabbed him in the back_."

Klaus raised his eyebrows. "In the front, if we're being specific."

Hayley had clearly had enough. "You two said that you would get him back. So is there a plan, or what?"

Klaus sat back in his chair, unaccustomed to giving into demands easily. "Well, firstly, Caroline is not my enemy—she's my friend, albeit one who is unaware that I'm trying to sabotage her hold over the supernatural community of the French Quarter, but a friend nonetheless."

Rebekah snorted. Klaus turned to her with one brow raised, and she smirked.

"I don't know how many friends you have that you would also like to bed. But then again, I wasn't even aware that you had a friend."

"Spare me the details." Hayley wrinkled her nose. She _so_ did not want to hear about her brother-like wolf wanting to bed anyone, especially his enemy.

"And secondly," Klaus continued as if Rebekah had said nothing. "I daggered Elijah in order to gain the trust of Caroline and the rest of the vampires of New Orleans. If I had known her lackey Marcel would place my brother in the hands of a particularly nasty teenaged witch, regardless of the relationship that she may have with Caroline, I certainly would have weighed my options a bit differently. And thirdly, sister, please."

Rebekah smiled. "And thirdly, the plan, as you have demanded, is for Niklaus to simply ask Caroline for Elijah back."

Hayley's eyes widened, her heart sinking. "That's not the whole plan, is it?"

"Please," Rebekah scoffed. "Klaus may be a miserable excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolical."

Klaus nodded as if it were a compliment, and to him, it probably was. "And that's only Plan A, love. There's always a Plan B."

"And what's Plan B?" Hayley asked.

Klaus grinned. "War."

.

"I clean up well." Caroline commented, turning left and right to catch her reflection in the mirror. She was holding yet another party tonight, and that required a new dress. Or twenty. It was just expected.

Thierry chuckled, turning his attention to the television while Marcel's gaze lingered on the blonde vampire. A news story flashed up, highlighting the faces of two missing persons – Caroline recognized the two recently turned and killed party-goers. Before she could ask, Thierry piped up.

"My contact at the docks is gonna come forward as an eyewitness, saying she saw those two drunkenly fall into the Mississippi. They'll be dredging for weeks. No one will come looking around here."

Caroline shot a rare beaming smile at Thierry. "That's why you're the best, Thierry. You always think ahead."

"Good thing, too." Marcel remarked. "Considering one's dead in a dumpster behind the county morgue and the other one is a vampire now."

"Ow!" The seamstress hissed, recoiling from where she bent to hem Caroline's dress with a drop of blood beading her finger.

"Allow me, honey." Caroline smiled at the girl, raising the tailors hand to her lips to clean the blood off. She glanced up, cat-like, at her two companions. Thierry looked away with a chuckle. Marcel smirked, his grin growing as Caroline smiled slyly at him.

"One more thing." Thierry commented, breaking the mood.

"Hmm?" Caroline asked, letting the girl go back to work, her finger licked clean.

"I sent 4 nightwalkers to look into a werewolf sighting in the Quarter. I haven't heard from them since." Thierry frowned.

Caroline sighed. "That makes 10 dead nightwalkers in the last week. You think the werewolves are back in town trying to start some trouble?"

Thierry and Marcel shot each other a swift look that didn't go unnoticed by Caroline.

"What?"

"Look, we know you and Klaus are friends," Thierry said soothingly. "But the fact is, since the Originals showed up—"

"Oh, come now, Thierry." Klaus said smoothly as he entered. "You're not still upset about that little, toxic werewolf bite I gave you, are you? I thought we were at bygones."

Caroline exhaled. She knew that her morning had been going far too pleasantly. "I think its time for your break." She said to the seamstress. The girl smiled and quietly packed up her things, leaving the room.

"I see you've given him free rein of your compound now, too." Marcel sized up Klaus with his arms folded.

Klaus rose to the challenge. "Yes. Well, you remember, I have every right, seeing as my family and I lived here, built the place, in fact—"

"All right." Caroline cut across his words with a commanding tone that would have sent wild dogs scurrying back to their kennels. "Come on. You all know the drill. Thierry and Marcel are my guy's, inner circle and all. And Klaus is my sire and, on good days, my friend. He's also a guest here. Peace, okay?" She stared down all three men until she had at least one nod of compliance from each.

"Good." Caroline smiled slightly, stepping partially behind the dressing screen to change out of her dress so it could be hemmed. "Now, what do you need, Klaus? I thought you would have pestered me enough for today." She reminded him of their breakfast together where upon their departure she had told him in the most amiable terms possible to run along and not bother her for the rest of her busy day.

"I'm afraid Rebekah is insisting that I demand Elijah's return." Klaus said, his eyes on the pretty silhouette Caroline made through the thin paper screen. "She's quite worked up about it."

Caroline faltered slightly at the mention of the dapper Original brother, but succeeded in zipping up her jeans in record time. She shrugged on her shirt while stepping out to join the three again.

"We're not going to have _three_ Originals walking around town, are we?" Marcel said before Caroline could pass judgment.

"Half our guys think the sister killed the nightwalkers." Thierry added to Caroline.

Klaus growled. "Is that an accusation against an Original?"

"I'll say it is." Marcel grinned cockily. "Your sister might have been pretty enough to tempt me back in the day, but even I remember how vicious she can get."

Klaus narrowed his eyes, storming over to the two men. Caroline caught him before he had gone more than three steps with one hand square in the centre of his chest.

"What did I say about peace?" She repeated in an eerily calm voice, shooting the three of them a deathly glare. Caroline carefully pushed Klaus backwards, grabbing her heels as she directed him towards the door. "Come on. Walk with me. I'll talk to you two later." She tossed over her shoulder with another carefully placed wink as she and Klaus walked down the hall.

"Your inner circle man Thierry lacks a sense of humor." Klaus said, his blood still boiling slightly as they walked along the balcony.

"He's a little overprotective," Caroline admitted. "But loyal to a fault. And plays the trumpet like you would not believe. I saved his life back in the forties, found him dying of a war wound outside a VA hospital. He'd kill for me, and die for me."

"Seems like Marcel would do so as well." He said with an air of observation that gave away his jealousy. "I remember when you turned him under my guidance more than a hundred years ago. What's your relationship with him now?"

"Marcel?" She smiled, setting her shoes down on the ground and toeing them onto her feet. "He's a little too arrogant at times, but he makes up for it with his loyalty. And he can always be relied upon to relieve my stress." She felt the tension roll off Klaus in waves. "Seems like you're due for a session between the sheets. No time for action in between your plans of world domination?" She quipped as she began to descend the stairs.

"Clearly I've set my sights too high." He replied cryptically, and she was suddenly aware of his heated breath on the back of her neck.

"Well then, you can drop them at the party tonight." Caroline covered her shiver as she turned to face him at the foot of the stairs. "I'll see if I can wingman you. You're coming, right?"

"How can I miss my chance to meet the city councilman as he accepts your gigantic charitable donation?" Klaus teased, earning a ringing laugh from Caroline.

"I know. But he turns a blind eye to some of the stranger things in the city. I've got to reward him with something every now and then. Besides, it's a good cause. Goes towards families in need around the city." She paused, biting her lip. "About Elijah…"

Klaus raised his brows, wordlessly encouraging her to continue.

"You handed him over pretty unconventionally to begin with, and now I'm not in a position to return him to you immediately. But tell Rebekah that he's in safe hands. I know she kicked up a fuss."

"What kind of position are you in?" Klaus asked, nosy as ever. "If you're in need of some form of help, love – "

"My problems. Okay?" Caroline interrupted with a beatific smile. "But rest assured that nothing will harm Elijah while he is in my protection. You have my word."

Klaus locked his gaze on her as she uttered those words, and the memory passed between them.

.

_Carolina had tiptoed her way through the house to where she knew he'd be. And there he was. Standing in the study, easel set up, paint being dabbed in careful strokes across the canvas. She watched him, her furiously beating heart starting to settle at the familiar sight._

_"The nightmare again?" Klaus asked without turning._

_The images plagued her mind again, and she waited till he put down his brush and turned. The nine-year-old nodded her head, eyes wide._

_He smiled carefully and wiped his hands clean on a rag before walking over to her and offering her his hand. They climbed the steps in companionable silence. She was instantly comforted by the scent of pigment paint that clung to him. _

_"Now, tell me," Klaus said once Carolina was tucked under the covers again, a tiny doll in a giant bed. "What happened in this nightmare?"_

_"I'm lost in the dark." She recited. It was always the same nightmare. Always. Carolina closed her eyes, visualizing it. "I feel like something is following me. I stumble for a while, and then I turn around, and something with red and gold eyes is staring at me." She opened them to find Klaus staring at her intently. "And then I wake up."_

_"Hmm." He frowned after a pause._

_"Am I going mad?" Carolina asked, her face a vision of pure fear._

_"Completely mad." Klaus agreed with a nod. "But that's what makes you a Mikaelson." He said proudly._

_Carolina beamed her sunny smile, lifting Klaus' heart._

_"Its only a dream, Carolina. Nothing can hurt you there." He smoothed a curl back from her face. "And no harm will come to you here either. As long as you are under my protection, you are safe. You have my word."_

.

Rebekah walked down the streets of the Quarter with a fair amount of sass. She had missed this town. Missed the energy in the air that many swore was from years of mischief and mayham, from pirates to witches. This was the city where her family had been at its height. They had been happy, only Finn was daggered, Mikael seemed to be a threat from a nightmare long past as they put down proper roots in a city that they literally helped build from the ground up, seeing conflict after conflict and staying strong throughout.

This was just another blip towards a happy ending in Rebekah's mind. Though she was reconsidering whether or not to include Klaus in the final scene of her fairytale ending. At this point he was getting worked up by his want for Caroline and her position, which made him far more volatile than usual.

She rang the devil himself for a second time. He picked up on the third ring.

"Niklaus, for the love of Mary Magdalene, how long does it take to ask a simple question?" Rebekah could hazard a guess that he had been flirting with her too, no doubt, and while that might have been what Elijah wanted, what she wanted was to have her oldest brother by her side again. That was far more important.

_"Much longer than you'd think, considering the answer was, as expected, 'no'." _Klaus replied. _"She isn't going to harm him, Rebekah. You know that."_

Rebekah growled wordlessly for a moment. "I don't care. Elijah should be freed. No one should take away someones freedom by putting them to sleep in a box for however long they'd like." She said, implying pain with every word. "And Caroline might be hiding the girl we once knew she was, but that just makes her more dangerous."

Klaus sighed into the phone, choosing to ignore the sibling remark. For now. _"You might be right in more ways than one. Caroline isn't in the right place thanks to her sidekicks. Marcel and Thierry have suggested you killed ten nightwalkers."_

Rebekah scowled at the mention of her former lover. "Well, that's a lie. I only killed eight. Should I round my own personal number up to ten and include Marcel and Thierry?"

Klaus chuckled, but his voice turned serious. _"Caroline is playing friendly –"_

"I'll bet she is." Rebekah quipped.

_"And we can't kill her favorites, or she'll catch onto us."_ Klaus continued, not giving any indication for hearing her jest aside from an edge to his voice.

"So, war it is, then." Rebekah sighed.

_"Indeed._" Klaus agreed. _"Do you know what to do with the witch?_"

Rebekah smiled despite herself. "I believe I do."

_"Good. You manage Sophie Deveraux. I'll take care of the next step."_ Klaus hung up, and turned to check the newly turned vampire a few paces behind him. They were in the basement of the governors house, and the last vampire that had attacked Hayley was chained up to its rafters. Caroline's latest addition to her vampire entourage, Josh, stood by with a knife, looking warily at the blood that dripped down from its edge.

Klaus walked towards him. "I ordered you to drain him of blood. What's taking so long?"

"Sorry. I'm not, like…medieval torture expert guy." Josh grimaced.

Klaus looked to the heavens at the use of the word 'like'. This generation had a lot to answer for by butchering the English language. He grabbed a pitchfork from the gardening supplies stashed in a corner of the basement, and impaled the chained vampire in the stomach.

Josh winced. "What did he do to you, anyway?"

"It's not about what he did." Klaus explained with the barest level of patience. "It's about what he's going to do when we're done here, which is whatever I want him to, just like you. For example," He clasped the young man by the shoulder. _"drive this through his torso."_

Josh took the pitchfork Klaus offered him and did as he was compelled to do. The knowledge of what he had been asked to do showed clearly on his face. "That is crazy. I didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway."

"It's called mind compulsion." Klaus stated. "Vampires can compel humans. Originals, like my siblings and I, can also compel vampires, and no one can compel Originals. You following?"

Josh nodded.

"Good." Klaus continued. "That is how a brand-new nightwalker such as yourself is here doing my bidding with no one the wiser."

"But I never had my guts drained out of me." Josh frowned.

Klaus ground his molars together. Newly-born vampires were such a drag. He couldn't recall Caroline ever being this difficult. "Yes. That, young Joshua, is because I got to you before you had even a drop of herbal vervain in your system. You see, it prevents compulsion. Caroline has had her whole crew taking it since I returned to town, and that is why our friend here needs to be bled dry of it, so I can compel him to follow my every command. And with my brother currently in captivity awaiting rescue, we can't afford to be gentle about it, can we?"

Klaus snatched the pitchfork from Josh's hands and rammed it into the vampire, relishing the action. "Now be quick about it." He instructed the new vampire. "I have an army to build, and one compelled minion does not an army make."

.

Rebekah shifted her weight to one hip and placed her hands on her hips as Sophie finally appeared.

"Oh, so glad you could make it." She sneered. "Elijah only lies daggered and rotting whilst you dilly-dally."

Sophie wasn't moved. "You're lucky I came at all. What do you want?"

"Hayley was attacked last night by Caroline's crew because somebody told him there was a werewolf in the Quarter." Rebekah glanced up at the sign marking the witches shop, Jardin Gris. "She only made one stop. Whoever saw her here ratted her out." The Original blonde grinned in a way that sent shivers down Sophie's spine. "Watch and learn."

Rebekah strode into the shop, and Sophie was almost reluctant to follow her. They made their way through the tiny shop, packed to the brim with every sort of gimmicky herbs and charms to entice the tourists as well as actual runes that would protect the wearer.  
Katie made her way out from the back room at the sound of customers. She spied Sophie first, and smiled warmly.

"Hey, Soph."

Sophie forced a smile back. "Hey, Katie."

Rebekah strolled around from behind a display with a casual air. Katie glanced at the trinket she was admiring, and her smile grew.

"That's filled with marigold. Great for attracting the opposite sex." She tilted her head. "It would look awesome on you."

Rebekah was not as friendly. "I very seriously doubt that. Do you have any others, one with, say—I don't know—wolfsbane, perhaps?"

Katie paled, finally understanding why Sophie and this blonde were in her shop. "Wolfsbane? Why would you want that?"

Rebekah sighed. She had a short temper, it was one of many curses about her.

Katie suddenly found herself pinned to the counter with Rebekah's hand clasped around her neck in a claw-like grip.

"Please do not play dumb with me." The blonde said coolly.

Katie spluttered under Rebekah's grasp, and Sophie started forward in a panic.

"Rebekah!"

Rebekah held out a warning hand in Sophie's direction, her attention fixed on the witch on the counter.

"I just sold a werewolf some herbs. That's all." Katie choked out.

"Are you lying to me, Katie?" Rebekah's grip tightened warningly. "I suggest you answer my question honestly."

"Sophie..." Katie gasped, looking imploringly at the other witch.

Sophie steeled herself. "Just answer the question, Katie, please." The sooner Rebekah got her answers, the better off they'd all be.

Katie clutched at the hand around her neck, trying to get more air. "Yes. I told someone, but you don't understand. I—I love him." Her eyes widened so naively, and Rebekah was unmoved. Love might have been her weakness once, but she wasn't weak anymore. She threw Katie to the ground and raised her foot over the witches neck, the heel pointing menacingly at the soft dip of her throat.

"And tell me, who is this vampire Romeo of yours?" When Katie didn't answer instantly, she let the tip of her shoe touch her neck. "Shall I count to three?"

"Thierry." Katie sobbed out. "His name is Thierry."

Rebekah remained poised to attack for a moment longer before backing away. "Thank you, darling. You've been very cooperative." She sauntered out, walking past Sophie without a care for the frown the witch sent her way, leaving Katie on the floor with her heart hammering like a drum.

Rebekah called Klaus the moment the door swung shut behind her. He picked up on the second ring this time – clearly she was actually being relied upon this time.

_"Well?"_

"You were right about the traitor." Rebekah updated him. "Luckily, she's just a kid and she doesn't know anything about us and what we're up to. Do you want to hear the part that's going to please you the most?"

She just knew that Klaus was smirking. _"Oh, do tell."_

"She's in love with someone in Marcel's inner circle. Guess who it is?"

_"Right-hand-man type, favors silly caps?"_

Rebekah grinned. "Two points for you. Thierry is fraternizing with the enemy."

_"Well, that means he just unwittingly became the key to our entire plan."_ Klaus said, amused.

"I told you you'd be pleased." Rebekah replied, not even caring for the witches love life going up in smoke for the sake of the war they were in. If it meant getting Elijah back, and reuniting their family, she would do anything.

_"Oh, to be young and in love in a city where witches and vampires are at war. How very tragic."_ Klaus made light of the situation, before his voice turned sincere. _"Good work, sister."_

Rebekah frowned slightly, but accepted the praise. "Thank you. What next?"

_"Now we convince the witch."_ Klaus said. _"Bring Sophie Deveraux to the house."_

She rolled her eyes. She knew she would get ordered around again. "I'm on it." She replied, hanging up.

.

Klaus made his way up the stairs again, bumping into Hayley.

"What can I do?" She asked.

"You can do nothing." He replied simply.

Hayley scowled. "Come on. Its not like I'm an invalid or carrying a child or something. Let me help."

"The only way you can be of help, little wolf." Klaus said slowly. "Is by staying out of trouble. Elijah enlisted us to keep our family safe – you are our family now." He stopped, turned, and faced her. "But you have seen how this family works. If you get injured as a result of your own foolishness, you will face a far greater retaliation from your siblings. So stay out of harms way, or fear a wrath far greater than whatever pain you may endure from your enemies."

Rather than be frightened, Hayley folded her arms. "Your anger might come from your fathers side, but just remember who else might have inherited that rage. Me."

They stared each other down, before Klaus snarled softly and continued walking. Two alpha's in the house was clearly too much. At this rate, he was tempted to kill her before the week was out.

He opened the doors to the study and closed them behind him before Hayley could barge her way in. She stopped outside them with a huff, leaning against the wall to eavesdrop regardless.

Sophie sat on the couch, Rebekah on the other settee. Klaus walked towards her with a smirk.

"Sophie Deveraux." He greeted, drawing out the syllables of her name.

Her scowl deepened in response. "What do you want, Klaus?"

"Such manners." Klaus exclaimed sarcastically. "All we offer is a little proposition."

She raised her eyebrows for him to continue.

"As you know, Elijah is missing." Klaus ignored the glare his sister sent in his direction. "We need you to find him with a spell."

"Are you out of your mind?" Sophie scoffed. "No way."

Rebekah sat forward in her chair. "It's very simple. We need you to perform a teeny, tiny locator spell to help us find our brother."

"Witches who practice magic in this town get caught, and they get killed." Sophie said bitterly, clearly thinking about her sister Jane-Anne who Caroline had murdered for breaking the rules of magic in the Quarter.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Yes, about that. It seems you left out a crucial detail when we made our deal: Caroline's secret weapon, the way she knows when a witch is using magic."

"Girl about yay high," Rebekah motioned, scrunching up her nose. "Cute as a button, anger issues."

Sophie's eyes grew wide, her mouth opening slightly in shock. "Davina?" She breathed. "Where have you seen her?"

Rebekah shrugged, gritting her teeth. "I don't know. The little brat erased my memory right after she threw me out a window with her bloody mind."

"Let me cut to the chase." Klaus interrupted. "Davina has Elijah. You witches, I assume, want to get Davina away from Caroline. We don't know where she is. Ergo, we need magic."

Sophie shook her head. "Davina would sense it."

"Unless, of course, another witch, say, a traitor to the cause…" Rebekah smirked slightly. "…Katie for example…was to perform much more powerful magic at the same time. That would create a smokescreen, concealing your very small spell from Davina."

Sophie wasn't convinced. "Katie doesn't deserve to die." She said in a small voice.

Klaus had reached his limit. He stood, slamming his hands down on the small coffee table so it creaked slightly underneath the pressure of his hands. Sophie jumped.

"Sophie Deveraux." He announced, before calming himself. "You're in no position to be so principled. You can't win a war without a few strategic losses, no matter how regrettable they may be. How many times have the vampires been one step ahead, known something they shouldn't?" He tilted his head calculatingly. "Your sister, executed in the public square for practicing magic. Who knew she'd be caught? Did she even attempt to flee?"

Sophie swallowed against the lump rising in her throat. "She was caught hiding in a cargo hold of a freighter before it set sail down the Mississippi."

"And who, pray tell, of Caroline's valued inner circle manages his business at the docks?" Klaus asked.

Sophie blinked, the gears clicking into place. "Katie's boyfriend, Thierry."

.

Klaus strolled into the old Mikaelsons mansion with the sound of a soulful horn whirring in his ears. His eyes immediately caught the sight of Caroline, illuminated by the last rays of sunlight, transforming her into a radiant goddess. She lounged languidly beside Marcel as they listened to Thierry playing his trumpet in the courtyard. An animalistic notion of ownership rose up in him.

"Klaus." Caroline noticed him before he could act on his anger. He marveled at his turnabout of emotion as she sprang up and approached him with a smile, all jealousy disappearing, replaced with a mixture of happiness, rivalry and desire. He knew that the rivalry and desire came as a response to what she was, but he didn't know if it was because he desired her title or Caroline herself.

"You're right." Klaus said as she drew nearer, gesturing towards Thierry. "He is good."

"Right?" She nodded, her mood elevated with the approaching party only hours away. "Music man, I call him. Ladies love him, but he's spoken for. He knocks around with this pretty little witch, says he loves her, but I don't know."

He glanced at her sharply. "One of your brightest soldiers is fraternizing with your enemy, and you don't care."

"You know how I feel about love." She scoffed, reminding him of their conversation over Voltaire long, long ago. But even so, she wandered off through the arched doorways into the house with an air that bade him to follow her.

Once they were a distance away that she deemed appropriate, she shot him a look. "Well, of course I care. But Thierry is a grown man. He makes his own choices, and I get some good intel." Caroline watched Klaus carefully. "Besides, he's not going to do anything to jeopardize our community. I mean, just look at what's happening tonight – a vampire is hosting a charity event. Even back in the old days that never happened."

"It was more charity for the poor starving Originals." Klaus commented.

"With you drinking your way through the town in more ways than one." She added wryly, before her tone turned sincere. "We have a community here. No one is going to mess that up."

Klaus raised his eyes to hers, studying her expression. She gave nothing away, and it irritated him to no end. He had no idea how he should play his cards around her. He had made her into such a perfect creature that she had bettered him. And much as he would like to regret that, he knew he couldn't even bring himself to feel it since if he had not saved her, if he had not raised her, if he had not turned her, then she wouldn't have become his family, his companion, his friend, his lover. She wouldn't be standing before him today with a knowledge of him so thorough that she could easily destroy him, but she did not. And he would not have realized that he was capable of loving someone who he couldn't dagger when they annoyed him or threatened to leave him.

If it weren't for the pesky little power problem between them, then maybe he could fully let himself be taken over by the infatuation.

"Still…" Klaus stalled. "You don't want the witches to get too bold, given that a witch's tip about a werewolf in town led to the disappearance of your nightwalkers. I'm sure you've considered the possibility that it could've been a trap."

Caroline knew he was up to something fishy, but she considered her options. "Maybe I'll send a little message." She had heard the horn pause only moments before in the courtyard. "Thierry!" She called, and he appeared in the doorway only seconds later, ever the trusty right hand man. "Take a team of nightwalkers to the Cauldron tonight, do a little rousting. Oh, and Thierry? Make it nasty." She grinned like the devil. Love was the last thing on her mind.

.

_"Reading Voltaire again, are we?" Klaus asked, making the girl look up guiltily from her perch on the library ladder, slamming shut the dusty tome she poured over. "Poetry or play?"_

_"Philosophy." Carolina countered._

_Klaus grinned. "Oh dear. Elijah will be very impressed." _

_The fifteen year old girl frowned slightly at the odd tone in his voice, one that spoke of possessiveness and jealousy. She carefully opened the leather-bound book again and quickly found the page she had been up to._

_"Zadig ou la Destinee." Klaus read from the glimpse he had of the book's cover. "Historically inaccurate, and utter nonsense in parts, but – "_

_"But accurately referencing social and political problems." Carolina recited. A furrow appeared in her brow as she continued to read, and Klaus wondered if it was because of his presence._

_"Am I disturbing you, Carolina?" _

_"No." She huffed._

_"Your reaction says the opposite." He noted._

_"Its not you." She said swiftly, her brow wrinkling further. "Its Voltaire."_

_Klaus quirked a smile. "What of him?"_

_"I simply cannot understand." Carolina looked up at Klaus despairingly. "Why does he get to be king in the end?"_

_"He married a queen." Klaus explained._

_"But how does that make him a king?" She pestered. "He wasn't born one."_

_He exhaled, coming to sit on one of the lower rungs of the library ladder. "Not all of us are born who we are meant to be." He said carefully. "Sometimes we must prove ourselves. Zadig proves he is worthy of being deemed a king by the end of the novellas."_

_Carolina considered his words with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "I suppose." She said finally, before the wrinkle spread from her forehead to her nose. "But he is so fickle with all of those lovers."_

_"You have been brainwashed with too many fairytales." Klaus scoffed. "There is not always merely one lover for any one person."_

_"Not me." She shook her head, curls swaying. "I will only have one love."_

_"You mean you do not want to do as Rebekah does, fluttering from one man to the next, uncertain of whom to give your heart?" He asked with mocking sarcasm. _

_Caroline rolled her eyes in a very unladylike manner and nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "No. Nor will I do what you do, and flit from one woman to the next without leaving neither heart nor hair for them to remember you by."_

_Klaus raised his eyebrows and placed his hand to his heart, feigning his pain. She giggled and continued._

_"No. I may have as many lovers as either you or Rebekah, but I will only have one love. I will only give my heart to one."_

_"And who will the lucky man be?" Klaus teased._

_"Only time will tell." Carolina replied, before setting the book aside and hopping down past Klaus to the floor._

_._

Rebekah sat in Rousseau's, chatting with a blonde bartender who wiped down the countertops.

"And so then I moved back here to be closer to my brothers because—let's face it—family's important, right, Camille?"

"Cami." The girl corrected. "I have to change this name tag. Drunk guys keep hitting on me in French. But family is important, you're quite right."

"Do you have any family here?" Rebekah asked, sipping on her drink.

Cami shook her head. "That's a bit of a long, troubled story, but right now I'm pretty alone here."

Rebekah frowned. "But I swear I've seen you out and about with a friend of mine. Marcel Gerard? He's a pal of mine... sort of. I heard he had a crush on the blonde bartender at Rousseau's."

Cami, who had stopped wiping the table when Rebekah had mentioned Marcel, shrugged. "I would hardly call it dating. He's wooing me... sort of." She shrugged again. "I don't know. I mean, he's very charming, which probably means I should run for the hills."

"I'm kind of in an on-again/off-again thing myself at the moment." Rebekah said cryptically.

Cami nodded in understanding. "Those are the worst, aren't they? The ones you can't shake, even though you know better. And you always know better."

Rebekah grinned. "I like you, Cami. Most girls have the unfortunate tendency of being whiny little twits."

Cami snorted a surprised laugh. "Thanks…I think."

Rebekah studied her with a calculating air. "Hey, I'm supposed to go to this posh charity thing thrown by this philanthropist tonight. She's the equivalent of a female Gatsby, throws a mean party. Any interest?"

Cami smiled, almost shaking her head before she nodded. "What the hell. Why not?"

"Excellent." Rebekah grinned, writing down the address on a napkin to hand over to the bartender. "I'll see you there." The Original downed her drink before waving her hand once in Cami's direction and heading out of the bar. She pulled out her phone the second she left, noticing one missed call from Klaus. She narrowed her eyes, considering her options, before she dialed a number on her phone.

_"Rebekah, darling."_ A familiar voice answered.

"Can I interest you in a party?" Rebekah asked.

_"Depends. You clearly need my assistance with something."_

"Only causing mischief and mayham, I can assure you." She grinned.

_"How could I say no?"_

.

Klaus picked up his phone with a slight frown. "Little sister." He greeted. "You took a while to return the call."

_"I was merely setting some plans in place." _Rebekah replied innocently. _"I believe I will make certain that both of Caroline's right hand men will not be on top form tonight."_

"Dare I ask?" Klaus jested.

Rebekah sounded amused. _"Let's just say that their attention will be elsewhere. And so long as you distract Caroline yourself, everything should be perfect. Now, I've done my bit. What are you doing to ensure Elijah's safe return?"_

Klaus glanced down at the papers in his hands. "Currently, I'm preparing insurance against the tender-hearted."

_"Meaning?"_

Klaus sat back in his chair. "We need proper motivation for Katie to cast a powerful spell tonight. I'm creating that motivation. Caroline has ordered a rousting of the witches. And I, in turn, have arranged for things to go tragically wrong." He smirked, thinking back to when he had compelled the vampire he had drained of vervain earlier that day. "Caroline may not be concerned with Thierry's romantic entanglements, but there are other crimes which he'll be less inclined to so easily forgive. Killing a vampire, for example. That would be unforgivable. If Katie hopes to save her one true love from Caroline's punishment, well, a rescue mission like that will require something positively magical. But then... what's worth dying for, if not love?" His smirk had twisted into something else, and his voice had grown melancholy. He remembered his sister on the other end of the line. "Does that sound like a satisfactory plan?"

_"Perfectly, brother."_ Rebekah said. If she had any indication of what he had been reminiscing about, she did not give it away. _"Well, I'll be heading home then. Seems like its going to be quite the event tonight."_

.

Thierry led the vampires into the Cauldron, the witches' home ground. They let loose, running riot, enjoying the shrieking witches they stirred up as they knocked down tables and bared their fangs.

Thierry made sure they were fully occupied before he shot over to the back door of Jardin Gris. Katie was there waiting for him.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, rushing over to embrace him. He held her closer for a moment too long, and she heard the commotion outside. "What's happening out there?"

"Its Klaus." Thierry sighed. "He's convinced Caroline that the witches are planning to make a move against him. Caroline wants us to send a message." He backed away from her and shoved some containers off their shelves. Katie groaned in frustration and he looked at her apologetically.

"If she thought I was playing favorites because I'm in love with a witch—"

Katie caught hold of his arms before he could knock something else over, staring at him in earnest. "Say that again." She murmured.

Thierry smiled down at her. "I love you, Katie." He cupped her face between his hands. "And all this is gonna be okay, I promise."

Katie smiled brightly at him before pulling him close for a kiss. He lingered for a second and a third before pulling away regretfully.

"I can't stay too long. It'll only make everyone more suspicious." Thierry stroked her hair. "And I can't have anyone hurting you." He pressed one last kiss to her temple before leaving through the back door. The vampires were still enthusiastically tipping over stands and chairs, unaware of his attachment to Katie.

Thierry walked forward to control the mob, bumping into a vampire headed towards Jardin Gris.

"I already got that one." Thierry assured him, clapping him once on the shoulder before continuing forwards. He pulled Diego away from one young witch, sensing the bloodlust he had.

"Caroline told us to rustle up trouble, not attack." He warned, and Diego let his fangs slip back into his gums.

A scream sounded from behind them, and Thierry, his stomach dropping to the centre of the earth. Katie was pinned against a wall by the vampire he had only just warned off before. She pummeled his head as he bit into her neck, and a wave of rage consumed Thierry.

"Leave her alone!" He roared as he ran across the street towards her. "Get off!" He grabbed her attacker by the back of his jacket and swung him across the courtyard, slamming him into a wooden table. The vampire still struggled against him, a rabid look in his eyes. Without thought for anything but the safety of himself and Katie, Thierry grabbed the first available weapon and stabbed the vampire in the chest. He sank back down with a gurgle, and Thierry finally noticed the broken splinter of table leg that stuck out of his attackers chest.

He glanced up to see every action around the Cauldron had ceased. Diego watched him with a mixture of fear and shock. Thierry looked back to catch Katie's eye, and she stared at him, horrified. Everyone knew the consequences of killing a vampire. It was Caroline's biggest rule. Thierry watched the blood trickle down Katie's neck and steeled himself. He had done the right thing. He knew it.

If only Caroline could see it that way as well.

.

The party was dark, mysterious, enticing. Acrobats spun from the ceiling, suspended by thin strips of silk. Dark red confetti drifted down from the ceilings, almost like blood. The guests milled, both masked and unmasked, all in ranges of elaborate costume.

It was into this den washed in blue that Klaus and Rebekah entered, taking in the sights with expressions of amusement and approval.

"Well, this certainly is a fitting backdrop for tonight's events, I must say." Klaus commented.

Rebekah smirked, her smile growing as she spied someone across the room. Klaus spotted Cami at the same time.

"Clever, Rebekah." He noted. "Marcel will be distracted by protecting his new human girl in a room full of vampires, Thierry will be defending his witch against vampires, what better way to remind Caroline of her misplaced trust when she is reminded that she is not the only woman in her two right-hand men's lives?"

"Oh, I think I have another guest that might interest you." She said slyly, and Klaus followed her gaze.

Kol stood on the other side of the room, dressed in an impeccable suit, looking like the more devilish version of Elijah, as he had done for most of his life. When he caught his siblings eyes, he grinned, raising his glass of champagne in salute.

"What's he doing here?" Klaus asked Rebekah in a dark undertone.

"Just in case Caroline tired of your presence, I figured we could use another distraction." Rebekah said lightly. "Are you scared of a bit of competition?"

Klaus turned to his sister with a murderous scowl, but she was already walking over to another gleaming white figure that had entered the room, and Klaus faltered. Caroline was mingling in the crowd, dressed in a strapless white beaded dress that he recognized from years and years ago. The outfit was complete with snow white angel wings.

Klaus felt his mouth go dry, and his rage towards Rebekah disappear.

"Hello, darling." Rebekah greeted Caroline, stopping in front of her with a perfect smile. "You look precious."

"Aw, thanks Bekah." Caroline smiled sweetly in return. "You actually look half decent for a change." She took delight in Rebekah's slightly irritated expression before she mended her ways. "In all honesty, though, you look gorgeous, Beks."

Rebekah's happiness shone, and for a brief second the two blondes were as they once were – sisters.

And then Caroline caught sight of Klaus, and they were all back to their tenuous friendship.

"Klaus." She nodded, allowing him to join them.

"You're stunning, Caroline." He said sincerely, drawing a real smile from her for a fleeting moment.

"You clean up pretty well yourself." She returned the compliment.

"Oh, don't be fooled, love." Klaus grinned. "I'm the devil in disguise." He held up his mask, and sure enough, it was an old dramatic caricature of a devil mask from centuries past.

"And don't I know it." Caroline quipped, raising an eyebrow.

"You two chit-chat." Rekebah drawled, her attention suddenly across the room. "I need booze." She left the pair, and Caroline frowned as Rebekah strolled across the courtyard.

"What's her problem?"

"Old flame, as usual." Klaus said, noticing the person that had distracted his sister. "You know how she gets."

Caroline nodded, finally understanding. "Marcel. Of course. I completely forgot about those days."

"It would appear that she didn't." He noted, spying Marcel draw nearer to his sister at the bar. Caroline watched with a critical eye. Klaus watched Caroline.

"Shall we take a spin?" He offered her his arm.

She scoffed. "What? Not offering champagne? I thought you thought that was 'our thing' back in the day."

"Well if you insist, love, then I'm sure that will come later." Klaus teased, and Caroline felt her stomach swoop in a moment of excitement and anticipation that she hadn't felt in decades. She accepted his arm, and they walked through the crowd towards the dance space.

.

Rebekah loitered at the bar as she waited for her Scotch. She knew who she was waiting for though. And he didn't disappoint. Marcel strolled up with a casual air.

"You trying to be cute, swaning back into town, threatening me, and then disappearing without so much as a 'how are you'?"

"And hello to you too, Marcel." Rebekah sighed, memories flashing back in a blur. Marcel had been one of the first people Caroline had turned, under Klaus' guidance. He had been with their family for a few years before Klaus and Caroline had deemed him ready, after they had taken him in off the streets. With every year, with every passing lesson that Klaus taught Caroline to put Marcel through, and with every moment that Rebekah participated in, Marcel's attachment to Rebekah grew. And in time, Rebekah grew to feel the same for him.

Unfortunately, it hadn't lasted. While Marcel had been loyal to the family, he had still been left behind as the Mikaelson's fled the Quarter. And the bond between Caroline and Marcel had clearly grown in response to the Mikaelson's betrayal.

"Nice to see you're still alive." He remarked dryly.

"And nice to see that you and Caroline have taken things to another level." Rebekah retorted.

"That's nothing." He scoffed. "I'm just loyal to the rightful ruler of New Orleans."

She detected a hint of bitterness in his voice. Had Caroline rejected him?

"Well then, if you're so loyal to her now, I'll run off and waste my time on some other man." She picked up her drink and turned to leave.

Marcel wasn't letting her go without a fight. "You think I'm going to leave you alone here, looking the way you do?" He smiled. "To hell with that."

Rebekah let a rare smile grace her face in response, allowing him to draw near again.

.

"So aside from donating to charity and pulling out circus theatrics, what else does the night have in store?" Klaus asked as they spun around the courtyard in time to the music.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Just because you don't appreciate the new art forms around today doesn't mean you need to belittle my work."

"Apologies, love." He nodded. "Shall we move onto more mannered subjects then? Like how ravishing you look in that dress?"

She caught his eye for a second before glancing away, unaccustomed to eloquent compliments from him. It had been a century since she had last heard them. Not to mention the fact that she had decided against the modern gown she had been fitted for at the start of the day, and had opted for the dress he had given her right before he left her.

"I didn't really have time to shop." Caroline said casually.

"And the bracelet I gave you?" Klaus mentioned, glancing down to her wrist. "What's your excuse for wearing that?"

Caroline gazed at him, lost for word for a moment. She had no reason to wear it. She had no reason to keep it, after he left. But tonight, after years of letting it sit on her dresser and not having the heart to wear it, she had clasped it on her wrist without a second thought.

But she wouldn't let him get to her so easily. "Aw, you think I'm sentimental. That's sweet." She smiled without warmth.

Klaus still managed to see right through her, and his expression bordered on amusement. "For an angelic host, you are quite hostile."

"And for devil, you fail to be enticing." She retorted.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, if the lady insists."

Klaus suddenly spun her out, around, and back towards him in an elaborate move, catching her in a dip that took the breath out of her lungs. Caroline stared up at him with her eyes shimmering in the theatrical lights she had set up around the courtyard, her wings a perfect white feathery backdrop to her golden halo of curls that framed her lovely face. Her rosy lips parted with a shaky breath, and Klaus knew this was a moment he would replay again and again in his mind, if only just to remember what a perfect picture she made, what a muse for every type of art form, just so he could try and recreate her on paper and canvas. For just in that moment, she was the girl he had turned in the 1700s, the girl he had slowly fallen for, the girl he had made his equal and his companion in the 1800s, the girl he had mourned in the 1900s.

And then she set her jaw, and he could tell that she had reverted back to the woman she was today, the ruler of New Orleans that he was fighting for the throne.

"You'll have to try harder to charm me, Klaus." Caroline warned him.

Klaus lifted her out of the dip smoothly, keeping his ocean eyes locked on her sky blues. "Is that a dare, Carolina?"

"It may be, Nik." She murmured.

.

"You haven't changed a bit." Marcel marveled as he and Rebekah sat in one of the archways looking out onto the spectacle of the event.

"How do you mean?" She asked.

Marcel chuckled. "Look at you." He gestured to her befeathered, bejeweled self. "You're gorgeous, intriguing, and frightening. Just the same as you were a century ago."

Rebekah smiled at the compliment, but shook her head. "I'd like to think that I've grown since I've last met you."

He sobered slightly. "Yeah, well the last that I met you was in this very courtyard." Marcel reminisced. "I was about to enter the cellar. You looked down at me from the balcony. I wanted to go to you, but I couldn't. I'd assumed that you'd come to me, but you never did." He caught her guilty eyes. "And then you were gone."

"I wanted to see you." Rebekah admitted. "I wanted for you to join us. But – "

"But family comes first." Marcel nodded. "Hey, I get it. I've got a family of my own now too. These vampires in the Quarter? We're all family. Caroline made that happen."

Rebekah flinched back at the dismissive tone in his voice. She wanted to deny what he said, but she knew he was only speaking the truth.

Before she could think of what she truly wanted to say, Marcel glanced across the room and saw Cami talking to Kol. "What the hell are they doing here?"

Rebekah smiled, her spiteful self returning. "Oh, Kol? Or Cami? Either way, I think they're look sweet together, don't you?"

He turned to her with a dark expression, but it faded from his face when he saw just how riled up she was. Instead, he grinned.

"Jealousy looks good on you, Bekah." Marcel smirked, his hand curling around her waist.

"I'm _not_ jealous of some little _human girl_." Rebekah ruined her own words by gritting them out through her teeth. She turned and glared at him. "But if you want to stoop to that level, by all means, go." She stood up and stalked over to the bar, leaving him for a second time in that courtyard. She needed another bloody drink.

Marcel made his way through the crowd towards Cami and Kol, but another problem caught his attention. Klaus and Caroline weren't even dancing anymore, they were caught, their eyes locked together. Marcel had seen that before. And right now, it was not what they needed. Thierry had warned him to keep an eye out for Caroline. They could already see the powerful effect Klaus was having on her. And while Marcel cared for Caroline and wanted her happiness more than anything, wanted her back to her old self that was full of light, he knew that Klaus would do nothing more at this point other than ruin her.

"Mind if I steal the lady?" He asked, offering his hand to Caroline and breaking their moment.

Klaus looked about ready to murder him, but Caroline looked oddly grateful, as if she knew that she would do something she'd regret later. Clearly she was more in control than Marcel had imagined.

"Perfect." She smiled, accepting Marcel's hand. "It was about time for you to mingle anyway, right Klaus? I did promise to wingman you tonight."

"I cant imagine leaving with any of your guests tonight, sweetheart." Klaus said, keeping a steady hand around Caroline's waist, not letting her go just yet.

"A shame, since that's all you can get." Marcel countered, barely holding back his glare at his sire's sire.

"You might need to lower your standards then." Caroline said airily, before twisting slightly out of Klaus' grip, ignoring the ripple of heat that went through her as his hand grazed along her lower back before she was in Marcel's arms and they were spinning away across the floor.

"What was that?" She hissed up at him.

"You mean me saving you?" Marcel frowned. "Your welcome."

Caroline glowered at him, before digging her stiletto heel through his shoe, piercing his big toe. To his credit, he did little more than wince.

"I do _not_ get saved, and I never need to be." She reminded him. "If anything, that's what I did for you. I saved you from your human existence, and I saved you when you very nearly got killed by that hunter who rolled into town with a curse three years ago. If you hadn't known that he was one of the Five, you would have eventually killed yourself too."

Marcel recalled the Scottish hunter who had shown up once he had heard of Caroline's empire. He had been seconds away from ripping out the human's heart when Caroline had flown in and shoved him away. She had never told him about how she knew of the Five's existence, but she had ensured that he had not dealt with the consequences of being haunted to the point of suicide.

"We have each others backs, and I appreciate that." Caroline continued in a more composed tone. "But don't ever assume that I need to be saved, or that you can save me. Understand?"

He looked down at her, at the power she radiated off her, and nodded. "I understand."

Her mood brightened instantly. "Good. Now, I heard a rumor that your pretty little conquest is here tonight. Cami, right?"

Marcel grinned. "Yes."

"So why are you dancing with your sire and not her?" Caroline challenged. "Go win her over."

This was how they worked. She enjoyed helping him with his women, and he enjoyed helping her every once in a while when she remembered Klaus and tried to drink away the pain she still felt.

"As you command." Marcel teased. He swept a bow to his blonde sire before leaving her to find Cami.

.

Rebekah was already prepared. The moment she had seen Marcel distracted by Caroline and Klaus, she made her own way over to Kol and Cami.

"Hello, dearest." She said sweetly to Kol.

Cami instantly looked between the two of them with a calculating eye. "Is he the infamous on-again/off-again?" She asked Rebekah

"He's the brother, actually." Kol clarified, before turning to grin at his sister. "Hello, darling. I was just telling Cami here that you have a bit of history with Marcel. Ancient history though. Nothing to worry about."

Rebekah's expression soured. "Now, Kol. No need to lower yourself to gossip and bitching, though at times it seems as if you invented the term."

He rolled his eyes to the heavens. "Oh, Bekah. I believe the correct term for what I do is jibber-jabber. Which is in fact what we're doing at the moment, when I see a cause across the floor that I just have to contribute to." He tilted his head towards Klaus, who stood by the bar, and smirked at Rebekah before winking at Cami. "Excuse me."

Cami watched him go, and Rebekah watched her with a knowing look.

"My brother can turn on the charm at times, can't he?" Rebekah said.

"And those ones are the most dangerous." Cami commented, before returning her gaze to Rebekah. "Right?'

The Original Blonde shifted slightly. "Listen, I would have told you about Marcel, but that was no big deal – "

"I know." Cami cut her off. "And its fine. I've been on one date with the guy. No explanation necessary."

Rebekah smiled. She liked this no nonsense girl. It was refreshing after the high school dramas she had been sucked in by in Mystic Falls. "How have you been enjoying yourself?" She asked after a pause. "Have you been entertained?"

"Its ridiculous." Cami laughed, taking in the artistic acrobats that spun over their heads. "But a good kind. Killer party."

Rebekah scoffed. "Oh, you have no idea." She noticed Marcel bowing to Caroline, and saw her chance. "Here's the thing." She said quickly, catching Cami's eyes. _"You are going to dance with Marcel, and entertain him. Make sure his attention is on you until he is called away."_ Rebekah compelled the girl.

Cami nodded, eyes wide, and blinked with a slight frown. She could have sworn that she was just talking to that girl, Rebekah. But then Marcel stopped in front of her with a charming smile.

"Cami!"

"Marcel." She smiled.

"Rebekah told me she invited you here."

Cami glanced down to her hands. "I didn't know you'd be here too. She just said it was a party her friend was throwing."

Marcel glanced around at the dancing couples. "Well, seeing as we both happen to be here at a pretty fancy charity event, its expected that we dance." He held out his hand, wordlessly asking for hers in acceptance.

More than one thing in her body urged her to instinctively take his hand for a dance, though Cami would never be able to explain the sensation, or the reason for it. They made their way out onto the floor.

.

"Well, well, well." Kol's voice floated in Klaus' ears, and he closed his eyes. It would be wrong to kill his brother for simply showing up in New Orleans. It would be wrong.

But then again, Kol would be his right old, annoying self less than an hour later anyway.

"Hello, brother." Kol clapped Klaus on the shoulder, ordering a scotch for himself at the bar.

"Goodbye, brother." Klaus replied, turning to leave with his drink.

"You're leaving?" Kol pouted. "But I need entertainment."

Klaus glanced at Kol over his shoulder. "What are you waiting for? Go on, have at it." He gestured to the bar.

"Its no fun to drink alone!" Kol protested. "Join me, Nik."

The nickname only had Klaus turning to leave again.

Kol resigned himself to the bar with a sigh. "It's the least you could do after sticking a dagger in my heart."

The words should not have struck a chord with Klaus, but they did. He gritted his teeth, cursing his own soft spot for his family, before turning around and rejoining his brother at the bar. "Okay. Why not? I haven't had nearly enough to drink, what with you showing up here uninvited."

"Who says I wasn't invited?" Kol shot back, but he had a genuine smile on his face as his brother sat on the stool next to him.

"Because Caroline would be as likely to invite you as she would be likely to invite our father." Klaus replied harshly, swallowing a mouthful of his drink. He needed the alcohol.

"Caroline is here?" Kol asked with too much surprise, and Klaus frowned at him, earning a grin from his cheeky younger brother. "Oh, _that_ Caroline. _Your_ Caroline."

Klaus glanced out across the sea of guests, spying her almost instantly. She was flitting between guests, the perfect hostess, balancing power and dignity as if she had been born to rule. Perhaps she hadn't been born, but she had certainly been raised to be a ruler. The only problem in Klaus' mind was that she was meant to rule beside _him_.

"Not mine anymore." He muttered, partially to Kol, partially to remind himself.

Kol smirked. "So she's fair game."

Klaus' eyes snapped back to his brother, wordlessly challenging him to continue.

Kol turned his gaze back to the crowd, and spied the blonde making her way closer to the bar. "I remember her from long ago." He commented to Klaus. "Was it a century? Feels like only a short sleep ago." He was still sore about being daggered. Kol grinned at Klaus, knowing exactly which buttons to push. "She still looks like a tasty little thing."

Klaus clenched his jaw so tightly it looked as if it were going to break. "Say another word about her like that and I'll tear out your liver."

Kol shrugged and called out to her as she passed. "Caroline!"

Caroline glanced over and beamed when she spied Kol. "What are you doing here, scallywag? Crashing my party?"

"Just reminiscing with family." Kol replied, and Caroline noticed who he was with.

"Oh, its you." She frowned slightly, still not quite over what had happened on the dance floor.

Klaus held out a tumbler of scotch. "Join us for a drink?"

Caroline folded her arms and held his fiery gaze. "I'd rather die of thirst, but thanks."

"No need to be harsh, love." Klaus tutted. "We had a little spat."

"We _always_ have a little spat." Caroline countered, before catching herself falling back into the old routine. She turned to Kol with a smile. "I don't suppose you would like to take a turn?"

"That sounds fantastic." Kol replied. "I've been cooped up in a box for the last century or so, so you might have to teach me the new moves."

Caroline eyed Klaus sharply – he had never mentioned that Kol had spent the last century daggered.

"Oh, don't give me those wounded eyes." Klaus sighed. If he was going to hell, he was going to do it properly. "He had company. Rebekah joined in on his nap for the most of the century as well."

"Well, then it was no wonder that you never came back for me." Caroline said airily. "Seeing as the majority of the family who cared for me were incapacitated."

Klaus glowered at her, and Kol felt a scene coming on. So instead of giving into fate, he offered his hand to Caroline. She wordlessly accepted, and they made their way out to the floor before Klaus could grate out a response.

"He truly daggered you after you left New Orleans?" Caroline asked him incredulously.

"Naturally." Kol replied. "He's Niklaus."

Caroline sensed that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about seriously. "Well, then I suppose its rather pointless asking what you've been up to."

Kol laughed, as she knew he would. He pulled her into a traditional dance hold once they reached the middle of the floor. "This is still how they dance, yes?"

Caroline giggled unexpectedly. "Yes."

"So I suppose its rather pointless asking what you've been up to." Kol quipped back at her. "Seeing as you're now ruling the French Quarter."

"Oh, that little thing?" She shrugged with humor.

"Why'd you do it, Carolina?" Kol asked.

Caroline looked up at him, and knew that he was only asking. It was a simple enough question. But if she revealed the answer, then everything would change, and her position as the King of New Orleans would be lost. And she wasn't about to give it up to Klaus. She had won the place, and her answer had changed over time.

So instead, she shook her head with a small smile. "I think that's a question for another time."

"Very well." Kol accepted, turning them slightly and smirking.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing." Kol replied. "Just I can see Klaus seething from here."

Caroline laughed. "Was it a little forward of me to say what I said to him before?"

"You certainly succeeded in reminding Klaus that he is supposed to not care for you." Kol noted. "So he will either act to contradict that or prove you right in the worst way possible." His expression became melancholy. "He became his bitter self once we left you in New Orleans. Be careful."

Caroline wouldn't allow a somber moment, especially if she was being warned. "He can't touch me now." She tossed back her head. "I have everything he wants, but there is a reason why I have it and he does not. I learned well from him, and now the student has become the master." She grinned. "But none of that now. Is he still seething?"

Kol glanced over and his smirk returned. "Quite."

"Lets give him something to seethe about." Caroline challenged.

Kol chuckled, before twirling her out and in, dancing closer than before. Caroline twined her hands around his neck.

"When did you grow up so much?" She asked.

"Oh, I think its you who has grown up." Kol crooned. "Running around, taking over the town just as Klaus raised you to do."

"Klaus doesn't run my life anymore." Caroline said proudly.

Kol tilted his head in consideration. "True. But does he run your heart?"

The words went straight through Caroline, and she refused to meet Kol's eyes for a moment, composing herself and her answer. "Well, Kol, you can see how much I've grown. People change. Tastes change." She grinned up at him cheekily. "I might have even developed a taste for mischievous men with dark hair."

Kol glanced playfully left and right as if he were searching for an individual that she described. "Oh, you mean little old me?" He grinned. "Well, that could be arranged, darling."

.

Rebekah joined Klaus at the edge of the dance floor as he watched Kol and Caroline interact.

"You really are a hideously evil little thing, aren't you?" He spat out at her, not taking his eyes off the two as they smiled and flirted.

"Nonsense." Rebekah replied, her eyes going to the other couple – Marcel and Cami as they circled the floor near Kol and Caroline. "It's the perfect diversion. Both Cami and Kol are playing the part perfectly, and they don't even know it. You wanted Caroline and Marcel distracted – voilà." She turned back to Klaus with half a smirk. "Besides, if I was truly evil, that would mean that you felt something for the girl."

"I feel _nothing_." Klaus recited with feeling. Maybe if he repeated it enough, it would finally feel true to him as well.

"Even jealousy is a feeling, brother." She reminded him. "Ponder on that." She left his side, making her way out to the street to join Sophie as the second part of the plan commenced.

.

Hayley sighed, strolling around the pool for the thousandth time. She hated being cooped up in a house like this, especially when the night was so pleasant and balmy, and all she wanted to do was feel the earth beneath her toes and run through the woods. Surely she could step outside the border for a moment. She was caught last time in the Quarter, but Klaus wouldn't' find out if she went out to the woods…

"You're not supposed to be out here." A voice said behind her, as if its owner read her mind. Hayley turned to find a woman that just eluded her memory.

"Who are you?" She asked, wondering if she should try and find a way to protect herself. Considering she barely knew anything about what her new heritage meant, a whole lot of people clearly wanted to see her dead. She wondered if there must be some sort of Anti-Hayley campaign out there on Tumblr.

The woman smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Sabine. One of Sophie's friends."

It jogged Hayley's memory enough. "You're one of the witches."

Sabine smiled, proud of her abilities. "Sophie just asked me to come keep you company while everyone's out."

Hayley nodded absently, before turning around and gazing wistfully out to the woods, bathed in moonlight. The moon was only half full, but Hayley still felt the natural urge to shed her skin and become her other self.

"You know, you have this energy around you." Sabine commented. "I see glimmers of it in Klaus too. Its part of your werewolf blood. You and Klaus have some special heritage."

"You sound like Elijah." Hayley sighed. "He thinks he's going to bring everyone back together so simply, and we're all going to be one big happy family. But now he's gone, and I have no idea where to even begin starting to look for clues about what my heritage really means."

Sabine tilted her head, considering the young wolf in front of her. "You know, I can do something about that, if you want. I might not be able to answer all your questions, but I can understand your bloodline."

"I thought you couldn't do witchy stuff around here." Hayley frowned.

"It's not magic." Sabine clarified. "Just a couple old tricks my grandmother taught me."

"Palm reading?" Hayley guessed, and Sabine smiled slightly.

"Something like that. Come on." She encouraged, motioning for her to accompany the witch back to the house. "You have to be a little curious."

Hayley considered, then followed Sabine back inside.

.

Caroline twirled, laughing, spinning back into Kol's arms. Despite their playful banter, that's all it was – banter. There was a mutual understanding that passed between their eyes that they were playing up their flirting because they knew how much it had irritated Klaus in the past, and how much they both wanted to vex him now.

But their plans were cut short as Diego approached Caroline, ignorant of the other people on the dance floor. She pulled away from Kol with an apologetic smile, listening to what Diego had to say. The smile slipped off her face swiftly, and a murderous look replaced it.

Caroline breathed in an attempted calming breath. "Excuse me, Kol." She said. "I'll have to find another time to catch up with you." With a nod, she walked back across the courtyard with Diego, over to where a group of vampires loitered in the shadowed archways.

One in particular was Caroline's target. Thierry.

Her hand snapped out and caught him around the throat with more force that she meant. Her fury was too great to control at present.

"What the hell did you do?" Caroline growled in the taller man's face. Despite her angelic garb, despite the fact that each of the vampires towered over her, they all still managed to look frightened. Thierry held together well, but she could see the apparent fear in his eyes.

Diego stepped in quietly at her shoulder. "Your guests are only feet away." He reminded her.

"I'm aware of that, Diego." She snapped, her eyes a fearsome shade of ruby, veins lacing around her eyes. "But I'm in a bit of a mood. I could easily just kill everyone."

Diego backed down, and Caroline took a deep breath.

"Everyone upstairs." She ordered, pushing Thierry out of reach for his own sake. He rubbed his neck gingerly, watching her with wary eyes. She glowered at him, eyes still as red as her rage, before spinning and leading the way up to the balcony.

* * *

Hey!

Nice big chunk. I know a fair bit of it is taken up by plot that doesn't concert Caroline and Klaus, but its all to set the scene. There will be someone arriving in the next chapter who will shake things up even further, and might shake this plot line completely from its Original hinges.

In other words, after the next chapter, all bets are off for where the plot is headed. It might remain slightly canon with The Originals, but it will certainly change, that much is certain.

Hope you've enjoyed the addition of Kol! I couldn't bear the thought of him not being included in the mayham :)

Thank you to the gorgeous readers, reviewers, favoriters and followers. You've been wonderfully dedicated so far, and incredibly patient with the set up of the plot, and I hope that you'll like the new direction this takes after the next chapter. I certainly cant wait for you to read it!

Read and review if it appeases you (or doesn't), and I'll see you all on Saturday!

xx


	6. Chapter 6

Caroline paced like a tigress. The rest of her inner circle stood a way down the corridor like guards. Thierry stood before her, and Diego and Marcel stood on either side of the angelic ruler of the Quarter.

"I want to hear your side of it." Caroline demanded.

Thierry balked. "Caroline, please – "

She steeled herself. "Your version. One chance. Go."

Thierry watched her, knowing he was in a hopeless situation. "We were tossing the Cauldron. This guy, some nightwalker, he attacked Katie for no reason."

"His name was Max." Caroline hissed. "I turned him, and as far as reasons go, he doesn't need one. She was a witch. He was a vampire. Now he's dead."

Thierry swallowed against the dry lump in his throat. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

"You broke my most important rule." Caroline's eyebrows drew together in despair. "God, Thierry. How long have we been friends? Seventy years? I turned you into something that would never die. I gave you a gift."

"And I have been loyal to you all this time." Thierry reminded her. "And I still am. I'm still your friend. I swear that hasn't changed."

Caroline watched him, torn between her rules and her heart. She couldn't kill Thierry. He was her friend. He had stuck by her this whole time, seen her build the empire that she ruled today. Despite his upbringing, he had never questioned the fact that he took orders from a pretty blonde girl. He had seen her as more than a woman, though she could have easily been compared to Marilyn Monroe. He had never doubted her.

But she doubted him. And right now, she doubted both of her right hand men.

"And you." Caroline turned to Marcel. "You should have been with him."

"Who else was going to watch out for you with the Mikaelsons around?" He challenged. "Between Klaus, Rebekah, and now Kol, they're using you – "

Caroline's hand snapped out in a flash and clutched Marcel's jaw so tight that it fractured slightly under her grasp. She ignored the crackle, staring at him threateningly as his face was brought down to her level.

"Don't ever assume that I cannot take care of myself." She said quietly, every word as clear as day and as icy as the Arctic. "You only came tonight to see your two blondes. Don't think that I don't know you are distracted by your dalliances with Cami and Rebekah." Caroline let go of Marcel's face and turned back to Thierry. "The pair of you have been consumed with your women, and look where it has landed you."

Before she could draw breath to continue her criticism, the new vampire, Josh, appeared at her side with an envelope.

"We found this at his girl's place." Josh said carefully.

Caroline tore open the packet with one nail, pulling out sheets of diagrams and Latin. She recognized the spell instantly. She turned to Thierry with a glare.

"Still my friend?" Caroline scoffed. "That's funny, because it looks to me like that little witch of yours got her hands on a spell that I keep locked away."

Thierry blanked. "Caroline, I have never seen that – "

"Shut up!" She snapped, not caring how she sounded like the seventeen year old she was frozen as, for all of eternity. "I see on your hand that you still have the daylight ring I gave you. So what would you need with the recipe for making new ones?" Caroline set her jaw. "Unless you and Katie were going to go off and start a little kingdom of your own."

"Caroline, no." Marcel blurted, and she held out one hand in his direction.

"I'll get to you in a moment." She said warningly, and Marcel stepped back.

Thierry stood, braced for the judgment she would pass.

Caroline sighed. "Here's a lesson in friendship. Friends don't lie to me, they don't break my rules, and they do not steal what is mine." She looked him square in the eye. "For the crime of murdering one of his own, I sentence Thierry Vanchure to 100 years in the Garden."

A couple of vampires from the inner circle muttered to each other further down the balcony. Caroline turned to them sharply.

"Any questions on that?" She challenged, and silence met her ears. "Good. Consider this a reminder."

Despite her harsh words, the blonde still couldn't face Thierry one last time as he was lead down to the Garden.

.

Katie was beside herself when she came to Sophie. In between sobs while Sophie cleaned the bite on her neck, she explained how she had been injured, how noble Thierry had been as he had fought her attacker, the terror she felt for her lover.

"I know you think he's a monster." Katie sniffed.

Sophie carefully placed the bandage of Katie's neck with a pitying look. "It doesn't matter what I think. Thierry killed another vampire. He broke Caroline's biggest rule." She looked the girl in the eye. "You'll never see him again... unless we do something."

"'We'?" Katie hiccupped.

Sophie set her jaw. "I want to save our people. You want to save Thierry. There's only one way we can do both."

Katie's eyes widened, and she nodded, the tears drying on her cheeks.

The two witches gathered everything together for the ritual. There would only be one chance, but if Katie could rescue Thierry, they could flee New Orleans and Caroline's grasp before anything happened.

Or at least that's what Katie believed.

Sophie ignored the churning in her stomach. "You ready?" She asked the girl.

Katie nodded, exhaling a shaky breath before she raised her hand and sprinkled salt over the candles.

Sophie's heart ached. She was just a kid. _Just like Mir - _she cut off her own thoughts, refusing to think of her own losses. No. She would do this, and save her family. Klaus was right. A few sacrifices had to be made for the sake of family. Sophie closed her eyes and cleared her mind, focusing entirely on the power of her ancestors.

.

The vampires made their way onto the streets of New Orleans, Caroline leading the pack. The second they were on the road, however, she knew something was wrong. She glanced over to the pavement where she saw Katie striding towards them, chanting.

"Katie, no!" Thierry gasped out, right before the young witch flung out her hands and all the streetlights burst.

Caroline felt an agonizing pain explode in her temples, forcing her to the ground along with the other vampires. They all cried out around her, but she refused to make a sound, staggering to her feet.

Katie waved her hand again, and the pain returned, splintering through Caroline's skull.

"No!" She heard a high voice cry behind her, and the pain lifted, an unseen force guiding the blonde back upright on her heeled feet.

Katie looked astonished, fear clouding her eyes.

Caroline grinned menacingly, stalking towards the witch. "You here to save your man?" She taunted. "Come on, little girl!" With a growl, she launched herself towards the witch.

Katie flung out her hands in fright, a wave of magic knocking Caroline to the ground. The blonde gasped out in agony as she heard a crack, white hot shards of pain scurrying up her spine. She couldn't move.

Katie raised a wooden stake over Caroline's body. "Die, you bitch!" She cried.

"NO!" The high voice shrieked again.

"Katie! Don't!" Thierry warned her, reaching out to save his sire.

Someone else got there first.

Klaus was suddenly there behind Katie, snapping her neck before anyone could understand what had happened. Caroline looked up at him with wide eyes, and for a moment Klaus saw the same scared girl that he had saved three hundred years ago. He saw the emotions she had kept hidden – fear, gratitude, affection. And then her face closed off again and she was back in control.

Thierry crawled over to Katie's lifeless body, cradling her in his arms. "No, Katie, no, no no." He chanted softly into her dark hair.

Caroline ignored Klaus' helping hand and rose on her feet again by herself, watching Thierry with a guarded expression. She glanced up and met Klaus' eye again, a small smile shining through her façade. He had no reason to save her. He might have had reason to in the past, when they were family, when they were in love, but not now. Now, she had everything he wanted, and it would have been a simple matter for her to be killed by Katie and him live on to reap in her rewards.

But he had saved her. And she wouldn't be able to let that slide so easily.

She studied him one last time before turning, her eyes scanning the area for someone she had heard during the fight. Davina was nowhere to be seen. But that didn't mean she wasn't present. Caroline walked down the street, picking her way through the inner circle vampires that were righting themselves. She glanced back towards Klaus, but he had already vanished like mist into the night. Caroline walked around the corner and found Davina leaning quietly against the whitewashed wall of a building.

"Honey, you can't be here." Caroline murmured quickly.

"I know." Davina said, lifting her eyes to meet Caroline's, and the blonde realized that the poor young witch was close to tears. "I was just so scared that they were going to hurt you, and that I wouldn't get there in time to stop it, but you still got hurt, and I'm sorry – "

Caroline enveloped the girl in a tight hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "Nothing to fear, little dove." She said. "It takes more than that to stop me. But thank you for your help." She held Davina by her shoulders so she could look her in the eyes. "I just don't want you to get hurt. If Katie had got to you, everything would be over."

Davina swallowed nervously.

Caroline smoothed back her dark hair. "I'll get someone to take you home. Marcel." With just the mention of his name, the vampire appeared at the corner – he had been listening, as Caroline knew he would.

"See her home, please. And then join us at the Garden." Caroline smiled one last time at the brunette before rejoining her companions, a grave look on her young face. It was time for Thierry's sentence to be carried out.

.

Sophie's eyes snapped open in the middle of her incantation, the wind stilling around her. "Somethings wrong." She breathed. "Katie's magic stopped." She glanced down at the map. "I can keep going."

Rebekah shook her head. "You can't. She'll sense it."

Sophie was determined. "No. I can find Davina. I just need another moment."

In a flash, Rebekah flung the paper map out of Sophie's reach. "You may be willing to die to get your witch back, but that means Hayley dies with you, since you're still connected. Elijah will never forgive us, and rescuing him will be for nothing." Rebekah sighed, accepting her fate. "It's over. We failed."

.

Thierry was chained up in the usual procedure. She had been through this before. She had become used to walking past the hands of the people who had wronged her, and who now paid the price. She had learnt the intricacies of revenge at the hands of a master of fear and paranoia after all.

Caroline watched Thierry compose himself, stilling the tears that ran down his face. She knew he had cared for the girl, but was it enough to betray Caroline, his sire, his friend?

Why did it always come down to love?

"Tell me this." She said calmly. "Was she worth it?"

Thierry exhaled heavily. "I loved her." He murmured.

Love. Love was always worth everything. Even betraying those who cared for you, stood by you, loved you as a family.  
Caroline had closed herself off to such things. She nodded, accepting Thierry's words, before she drove an iron stake through her former right hand man's gut. He clenched his teeth in pain, but otherwise made no sound. Ever the strong, silent solider.

Damn, she was going to miss him.

"Seal him up." Caroline said dismissively to the man standing by Thierry's side. "Let him rot." She made her voice devoid of all emotion, but she couldn't keep it from her eyes as they flickered once more to Thierry's face before she turned and exited the Garden as swiftly as she could afford to do without seeming weak.

Marcel stood at the top of the stairs, waiting for her.

"Don't say a word." She cautioned him in a growl, attempting to ignore the sounds of bricks being laid around Thierry. She had never thought she would do this to someone so close to her. But after the betrayal, she was in the mood to do the same to Marcel if he wronged her again, history be damned.

"I wasn't going to." He said gravely. "I was going to escort you back to the party."

"Oh, that." She sighed. They walked back along the streets towards the mansion. "I'll need to make sure enough was done tonight." She glanced at him sharply. "Davina was returned home safely?"

Marcel smirked. "Absolutely. That little girl packs a punch. Thank god she's on your side."

Caroline smiled fondly. "She's got some fight. It was dangerous for her to be there, though. I worry about her being near those witches."

"But you still allow her to leave her room." Marcel pointed out.

"I'm not about to chain her to the bed." She huffed. "She's a teenager. And a person. No one should be locked up like that."

Marcel nodded quietly. It wasn't the first time he had wondered at Caroline's motives for the girl, and no doubt it wouldn't be the last.

They reached the entrance to the courtyard, and Caroline grinned up at him, her playful mood returning.

"You don't have to stay, you know. You could go and take Cami out on the town, away from all the drama here tonight, give her a perfect evening."

Marcel chuckled, but glanced at her hopefully. "You think so?"

"I'd order it, but I know you wouldn't follow me." She laughed, making light of his misdemeanors. She wanted him away from this party for the evening. If she had anyone else remind her that it wouldn't be wise to go down the path she was about to go down, she was going to rip out their throat. Caroline jostled Marcel's shoulder. "Go on."

.

Rebekah returned to the party, disheartened. She wondered where her brothers had disappeared to, wondered if there was any point returning to the scene of the crime. But then again, she was in a dark mood. She wanted to find some poor unknowing boy and drain him dry. It was one of those nights.

Instead, she found Caroline drinking by herself on the terrace, looking at the city. Her angel wings were discarded on the bench next to her.

The blonde glanced back and saw Rebekah. "Ah. Come to wallow in my dark mood?"

"I'm probably in the same place." Rebekah admitted, coming over to join her and take a sip of her whiskey.

The two watched the night life unfold around them in silence for a moment, before Rebekah let her feelings get the better of her.

"Give Elijah back."

"No." Caroline countered with just as much force.

"Why?" Rebekah asked.

Caroline sighed. "You remember when you first showed me how the daggers worked?"

Rebekah nodded slowly.

_They had been running through the house. Carolina was eleven – at an age where she had discovered mysteries and loved the dark corners of the house. Rebekah and Kol naturally took a delight in scaring the poor human girl._

_Carolina had been led down to the cellar by the Original sister, where a set of dusty coffins stood. She had stood resolutely by herself, but at a creak of the stairs, she had latched onto Rebekah's hand. The Original blonde had smiled, her emotions a mixture of warmth at having a younger sister, and mischief at the prank she was about to pull._

_"Why are these here?"_

_"Well, my dear." Rebekah explained. "You know what we are. We also have a secret. Promise not to tell anyone?"  
Carolina nodded __feverently__._

_"We cannot die. We are the only vampires who are truly immortal. But that does not mean we cannot be incapacitated." Rebekah ran a hand along one coffin, and felt Carolina shudder next to her, her small hand clenching tighter around the Original's. "There is a set of daggers that can put us into a deep slumber. However, once they are removed from us, we wake up. And we are hungry."_

_At that point, Kol had suddenly flung back the lid of his coffin and snarled, causing Carolina to shriek and bury her face in Rebekah's back. Her fear turned to tears as Rebekah and Kol laughed, and Elijah had come downstairs to find the scene._

_"What is this?"_

_"I…we…" Kol tried to gasp out in between chuckles._

_Elijah took in one look of Carolina's tearstained face, and was not as amused._

_"Both of you, go upstairs." He thundered. "And think about the impact you have made on this young girl. You ought to be ashamed."_

_Rebekah glanced down at the frightened girl, and guilt washed over her._

_"I'm sor – "_

_"Later, Rebekah." Elijah ordered. "Think on your actions before you blurt out a half-meant apology."_

_Kol and Rebekah made their way slowly up the stairs, and Carolina was left to mop up her tears and face Elijah alone._

_The Original knelt down next to her so they were at eye level. "Never let anyone, especially a member of our family, frighten you." He took her hand carefully in his far larger one. "You are stronger than fear. But also remember that your family is your greatest weakness and your greatest strength. Place your trust in them," He held her gaze gravely. "But be prepared for any harm."_

_.  
_

Caroline sighed. "Elijah trusted you. Trusted Klaus. And look where it got him. In a box." She turned to Rebekah with a hand raised automatically against her protests. "I know you would never hurt Elijah, but unless you can guarantee to me that Klaus won't hurt him, then I don't want to return him."

Rebekah scowled, but accepted her words. She still stole another swallow of Caroline's whiskey to make up for it.

"How do you do it?" Caroline suddenly asked mournfully.

Rebekah glanced over at her. "Do what?"

Caroline gazed at her blankly. "Make them fall head over heels in love with you."

Rebekah's heart had not broken in years. But it ached at the sight of the girl she deep down still called sister with such an expression of longing and resignation on her face. "He still loves you." She replied simply. "Its just twisted inside him. Like a lot of his emotions do."

Caroline chuckled, the sound catching in her throat. "I was once so sure that I knew he was in love with me. Now I'm not so sure he even loved me to begin with."

"Why else did he turn you?"

"Exactly." She caught Rebekah's eye. "Why else did he turn me? It wasn't out of loving me."

Rebekah wanted to counter her words, but she couldn't find a way to say what Caroline needed to hear. "Then what was it out of?"

Caroline turned back to gaze out at the city and the early morning night life. "I don't know. I guess I'll never know."

Rebekah lingered for a moment, wondering at what else she could say to comfort, before realizing the best comfort would probably be solitude. The Original Blonde placed a comforting hand on Caroline's shoulder before leaving.

She walked along Bourbon Street, reminiscing about the times when it wasn't merely a tourist attraction, when pirates and politicians roamed in search of power. Now the numerous villains of the world skulked around the city instead as they fought for the top position.

She glanced into a bar as she passed, and frowned as she saw a reflection in the window, a presence behind her as if it were her own shadow embodied. She tilted her head over her shoulder, but saw nothing. Shaking her head at her own paranoia, she continued to walk forward, and almost bumped into a man walking towards her.

Marcel.

Rebekah's eyes widened, and she stepped backwards, but he followed her, crowding her up against the brick wall of the bar.

"You're following me." She accused him.

He smirked. "Maybe you're just in my way." Marcel replied. He was only inches away, his eyes running over the smooth skin of her cheek, her dark red lips, before he grinned and brushed past her.

Rebekah let out a shaky breath, and was about to continue walking down the street when she heard him pause behind her.

"Aren't you going to join me for a nightcap?" Marcel asked, as if affronted. Clearly any thoughts of Cami were far from his mind. Rebekah was his chosen target now.

She turned and considered him where he stopped, one foot inside the bar already. They both knew how this was going to end.

"Perhaps. But not tonight." Rebekah smiled and walked down the street, aware of his dark eyes on her as she sashayed away.

.

The party had ended, as all parties did, even Caroline's. She and Klaus stood on the balcony overlooking the last pieces of red confetti flutter across the deserted backdrop of the nights events.

"How much of my problem did you see anyway?" She asked him with a casual air, having just explained what Thierry had been sentenced to.

Klaus shrugged. "I saw an argument. Nothing more. Nothing you couldn't fix, either."

Caroline smirked, but it lacked her usual warmth. "I did my best. I learnt from the best, after all."

He took a long sip of his drink, studying her. "You really like the world you've created, don't you?"

"I do." Caroline agreed. "I like keeping the order and creating the chaos. It suits me." Her bright mood faltered. "Sometimes I wish I was far removed from it all, though. Blissfully oblivious like the humans. It's good to see the world like they do. It means they don't have to put up with this kind of trouble."

"I am sorry about Thierry." Klaus said somewhat honestly. "I can tell he was a good friend."

Caroline shrugged. "I made him what he is. Obviously, my trust was misplaced."

"Doesn't make it easier." He replied instantly.

She glanced at him sharply, and believed him to be truthful. "You saved me tonight." She said softly. "Why?"

He glanced at her sharply, and she blinked and turned her face towards the courtyard again, aware of his surprise. She never showed such weakness. He had taught her better than that.

"Why wouldn't I save you?" Klaus murmured, so quietly that Caroline wasn't certain whether she was meant to have heard him or not. She turned towards him again, trying to understand what he expected from her, but he was too busy studying his own clasped hands. His lips were parted, and she wanted to fit her mouth around the gaps, brush her tongue across his full bottom lip, take the breath from his lungs and make it her own, make _him_ her own, her own possession –

Klaus glanced up and met her desirous gaze, and Caroline nearly jumped in fright. How could she tell whether he wanted what she wanted, when he was just as eager for power as she was?

And then she knew what he wanted. Why he had saved her.

"I owe you one, don't I?"

"You owe me your existence, Carolina, and don't you forget it." Klaus said harshly, but the look on his face countered it. His eyes were fond, but his mannerisms conveyed fear. His mood was as changeable as the weather. Clearly he hadn't planned to go to those lengths to protect his former protégée and lover.

"Regardless, I owe you." Caroline skimmed. "I'll return Elijah to you." She said with weight. "It's the least I could do." She knew it countered her conversation with Rebekah, but she had considered the idea. Clearly Klaus had changed slightly. Kol may have been right when he said that Klaus was still his frightening self, but if he was able to save Caroline, with all the history they had, then maybe he would be capable of keeping Elijah safe too.

"It ought to smooth things over in any case." Caroline shrugged, trying to be more at ease with the idea.

"I save your life, twice," Klaus reminded her with a half-hearted smirk, thinking back to how her life had changed between when he had first saved her from being lashed and now. "And you repay me by returning my brother?"

"I still think your presence put my life in danger twice." Caroline countered. "But you owe your brother just as much as I owe you. Its part of the bro code." She said it with a hint of bitterness that did not go unmissed by Klaus. His loyalty to his family still clearly weighed heavily in her mind.

"I know I can't ever justify my family leaving New Orleans without you, but we all regretted the decision the moment we left." He admitted. "I most of all."

Caroline looked at him, her eyes reflecting the blue light from the courtyard so that they turned a shade of sapphire. Klaus was caught in that moment, unable to tear his eyes away even if he had wanted to, and he certainly didn't. But she shook her head, and the moment passed.

"You don't need to prove anything to me." She bit her lip. "It's very nice of you, but – "

"But you've been hurt before, and you aren't taking any more chances." Klaus interjected, finally understanding.

Caroline glanced sharply at him. "Something like that."

"It's more than just a broken heart." Klaus said softly. "Your trust is broken, too."

"_Nothing_ of me is _broken_, Niklaus." Caroline hissed, her emotions changing with the wind of his words. "And you are certainly one to talk."

"I didn't – "

"Don't, then." Caroline snapped. She turned to go, but he was already there in front of her. She faltered, and he took advantage of her uncertainty. Leaning in so slowly, giving her time to storm away if she was truly angry, he brushed his lips across her cheek, a soft apology.

He was gone by the time her eyes fluttered open again.

.

Rebekah sat by the piano, her hair in a state of half dress, bobby pins scattered across the piano lid. Her left hand glided along a few of the keys, playing a melancholy tune while her right hand plucked another pin from her blonde tresses.

Klaus walked in with a lazy manner, confident in his every move. His night had certainly been fruitful.

Rebekah sighed. "Well, tonight was an epic failure."

He grinned to himself, pouring bourbon into a tumbler. "On the contrary, sister. Tonight was a masterpiece."

She frowned. "Are you mad? Katie died before Sophie could complete the spell."

"Oh, I'm well aware." Klaus drawled, sipping on the drink. "I killed Katie."

Rebekah stood up sharply. "You _what_?"

Klaus exhaled. Honestly, did he have to explain everything? "There's no way our little suicide witch wasn't going to try and take out Caroline with her. I saved her life, and in doing so, I now have her exactly where I want her."

"I severely doubt that." Rebekah snorted. She knew exactly what Klaus truly wanted to do to that poor unknowing girl.

"And I also severely doubt that you saved her merely because if was best for your plans of revenge. You still care for her."

Klaus shut his eyes, blocking out the moment he had shared with Caroline less than an hour ago. "The only reason why I saved her tonight was so I would get the pleasure of ripping out her heart myself for defying me. Katie was a simple sacrifice." He said callously.

Rebekah shivered at the cold tone of his voice. She believed him now. "Sophie trusted you. _I_ trusted you, against all my better instincts."

Klaus sighed. "Wake up, Rebekah. The witches are on no one's side but their own. This girl, Davina? That's all they want, and when they have her, what do you think happens then, a truce?" He scoffed. "Of course not. They will use Davina's power against all of us."

Rebekah set her jaw. "And Caroline?"

Klaus let his face drain of emotion. "Caroline is against me too. Against _us_. You don't think that just because she cared for us in the past that she wouldn't hesitate to kill us now, because we threaten her reign in New Orleans? No doubt she is using Davina to her advantage against us too."

"You are deranged." Rebekah exclaimed. "Caroline has only ever cared for us, _loved _us. If you can remember what love is, Niklaus." She saw the murderous look in his eyes, and remembered her real reason for even engagaging in this soap opera drama. "Even if you're right, the plan was to find Elijah, and you've failed us."

Klaus leaned against the piano lid with far too much ease. "You always did lack faith." He remarked. "By protecting Caroline, I've cemented her trust. So much so that she's agreed to return Elijah to us. And when the time is right, when she has told me everything I need to know about Davina, I will take the young witch for myself."

Rebekah shook her head slowly, eyeing her brother with contempt. "I have all the faith in the world that you'll get what you want, Nik. You always do, no matter what it costs the rest of us." Elijah, Kol, Caroline…they were all expendable for his own greed. She had to remind herself of that more often. "You _disgust_ me." She whispered harshly, before turning and walking out of the room at a leisured pace. She wouldn't give him the twisted pleasure of seeing her run away from him.

**.**

Hayley was curled up in the study chair at Elijah's desk when Klaus walked past. He paused, considering her as she poured over the yellowed pages of a book, her hair a corkscrew around her finger as she toyed with it absently.

"I thought you might like to know," He called softly, making his presence known. "Elijah is returning to us."

Hayley sat up with a smile. "Congratulations. I guess being diabolical has its perks." She said with more than a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Klaus came in to perch on the desk in a way he knew annoyed his older brother Elijah. Oddly enough, it made Hayley frown in irritation too. Interesting. He filed it away for future use.

"You hardly know him, and yet you miss him." Klaus observed. "What is it about my brother that always inspires such instant admiration?" Hayley, Rebekah, Kol, Caroline…they had all regarded Elijah as a guardian in all matters moral and otherwise. Sometimes he wondered if he would have preferred to be the trusted brother rather than the feared brother, but he knew their temperaments were better suited to their titles. It was how nature intended it to be.

Hayley smiled. "He was kind to me." She replied softly.

Klaus nodded, and turned to leave.

"I learned something today." Hayley called as he was almost out the door.

Klaus tilted his head slightly so it was over his shoulder, towards her.

She looked at him, and chuckled. "We've got some very interesting family history. I'll let you know more when I get to the bottom of the mystery."

Hayley could see his cheek rise slightly in a smirk.

"Goodnight, little wolf." He said as he left.

"Night, brother wolf." She replied, returning to the book, reading Elijah's words.

_There are moments when I doubt my family is capable of redemption. Yet each time that I am tempted to surrender, I see it, the glimmer of goodness that allows me to believe._

She traced over the pen strokes with light fingers, before she transferred her inquisitive hands to the keyboard of the computer, typing in the words she had heard Sabine say before.

_Summa proditionem lamia superstes puella ... qui currit, terreri ... mortem tradidit proditionem lupa ut maleficia *_

.

Sophie performed the last rights on Katie's body, honoring their ancestors. She had been too young to die...but she had threatened their existence. And Sophie hated to say it, but her family came first. If she had any hope of protecting her sisters daughter, she had to act ruthlessly.

Agnes watched her with judging eyes. "I told you no good would come from these unholy alliances of yours."

Sophie stood up, already glaring at the older witch. "At least I'm doing something. What about you?" She challenged, storming off before Agnes had a chance to respond.

The older witch turned to the congregation with a sigh. "We cannot allow this to go on. Sabine, tell them what you saw."

Sabine stepped forward next to Agnes. "It's the girl. The wolf." She stated, thinking back to the moment in the kitchen.

The pair had drank tea to do a reading, as Sabine was renowned for doing with a stunning accuracy.

But Sabine had done more than that.

She had seen a prophecy about the werewolf girl and her past.

And that spelt trouble for everyone.

.

Caroline knocked courteously on Davina's door before entering. The brunette girl was sitting by Elijah's coffin, her eyes fixed on the dagger that stuck out of his chest.

"Hey," The blonde greeted her casually.

Davina's face lit up with a smile, before her eyebrows drew together. "I'm sorry I left the attic before. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I was so worried."

Caroline shook her head. "You're allowed to leave the attic. I just don't want you near any of those witches." She smiled at the young witch. "And thank you. Whatever you did, it helped a great deal."

Davina glanced back at the casket. "It was the old ones, wasn't it? They were behind it."

Caroline thought back to the moment Klaus had snapped Katie's neck, her own personal avenging angel. Or devil. "Actually, Klaus is the one that saved me tonight." She admitted, holding back a small smile that threatened to break across her face like a wave on a beach. Despite her best efforts, he was fighting his way back into her life. And she had missed him.

She knelt down beside Elijah. "I'm going to make things right. Starting off by giving him his brother back."

Davina turned to her with a frown. "No." She stated.

The blonde looked at her in surprise. "Davina – "

"No." The brunette repeated. "You said the old ones were dangerous. And – "

"And?" Caroline repeated slowly, her expression hardening.

"And she knows someone who has a stronger claim." A sultry voice sounded from the doorway, and Caroline turned, fangs bared. When she saw the voluptuous silhouette framed in the light from the hall, she grinned with her canines still extended. She knew the woman in the door frame wouldn't be too frightened by the portrait of femme fatale that Caroline made – part monster, part angel – because the woman was one herself.

Katherine Pierce placed her hands on her hips, sparing a glance towards Davina. "May I come in?"

Davina watched Caroline, and the blonde nodded.

"Come in."

The moment Katherine placed one stiletto-ed foot over the threshold, she found herself slammed up against the wall with Caroline's elegantly manicured fingers around her slim throat.

"What the hell are you doing in my town, Katherine?" Caroline asked the doppelganger in her calm, straight voice, strung like a tight wire. Everything was all fine and dandy now, but one wrong move and everything would snap.

"Hospitality has gone out the window, I see." Katherine remarked snidely, before gasping as the blonde's hand tightened. "I just need a place to crash?"

"I loathe you." Caroline spat, dropping the girl to the floor. She folded her arms across her chest and eyed Katherine. "Why are you really here?"

"You gave up the torture thing pretty easy." Katherine rubbed her bruised throat. "Very un-Caroline of you."

Caroline tapped her foot pointedly.

Katherine took in the sight of her tattered gown and mussed hair, evidence of Katie's attack earlier that night. "You need me and my help. Bad."

"Get to the point, Katherine." Caroline drawled, signaling Davina with a twist of her fingers. The young girl understood her easily, and an invisible force slammed Katherine against the wall. "I've had a long night. And these heels suck."

"I would know." Katherine gasped out as the air was compressed from her lungs. "They were mine once."

Caroline smirked, and another nod to Davina allowed Katherine to suck in a deep breath and step away from the wall.

"Way to treat old friends." Katherine said with a breathless snicker.

"Just had to let you remember who is in charge." Caroline reminded her sweetly. The two women grinned at each other, re-energized by the whole exchange.

"Why are you back in town, Katerina?" Caroline asked the girl softly. "I thought you swore to be as far away from any Original as possible, and there are four here now."

"That is exactly why I am here." Katherine replied, smoothing her hair and composing herself with her usual air of cat-like grace. Her gaze flickered over to the coffin against the wall, and Caroline noted her gaze with wide eyes.

"Elijah? Even now?"

"He's a friend of mine." The brunette vampire smiled ruefully. "Oh, and when I say friend…I mean 'friend'." She winked.

Caroline turned to Davina. "How do you know her?"

"She found me here, said she knew you." The young witch said. "I could tell that she wasn't lying. I didn't let her in, though, as you said."

"That was smart." Caroline nodded, turning back to Katherine. "I'm guessing you had to cajole Marcel to find out about her?"

"A little more than that." Katherine smirked, then her expression turned sly. "And there is more. Didn't you always wonder how Klaus managed to show up just as you caught Jane-Anne? Even with his new hybrid speed, that's pretty quick. Unless – "

"Unless someone had arranged for him to meet her before she even knew about all of this." Caroline said slowly, her gaze freezing on Katherine like ice. "What are you doing here?"

Katherine smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Caroline fought the urge to throttle her again. Twice should be enough. Three times might be too much. She saw how Katherine's gaze flickered over to Elijah's still body, and she grinned. No. Caroline still had the upper hand.

"Katherine. I like you." She soothed. "Deep down, deep, deep down, I like you. So you're going to do the right thing and tell me what you know, and what you want. And I'll see to it that you get what you came here for." Whether that would be Elijah or what Caroline deemed as the _torture_ that Kat came to New Orleans for, only time would tell.

Katherine watched her as if she could see the dangerous thoughts roaming around Caroline's pretty blonde head. The fight or flight instinct always flared up most when she was in either Klaus or Caroline's presence. She supposed it was because the pretty blonde girl had been raised not only by Klaus, but by his whole family. Rebekah's snideness, Kol's mischevousness, Elijah's sense of honor and justice, and Klaus' temper – all came together in this little slip of a girl.

Said girl raised her eyebrows expectantly, and Katherine sighed. Whichever Mikaelson had also given her the gift of impatience had a lot to answer for.

"Klaus was running rampant in Mystic Falls – a little town in Virginia. I could see just how much it hurt Elijah to see his brother hurting everyone in his attempts to free himself. I knew Elijah would never leave his brother, unless…" She smirked at Caroline. "Unless he knew that Klaus was in…capable hands."

"You mean if I distracted Klaus so Elijah didn't feel a need to be hovering." Caroline said sourly. "Leaving you to ride off into the sunset with him as you have wanted for the past few centuries."

"Oh, come on, Caroline." Katherine pouted. "I'm not the sunset kind."

"Moonlight, maybe." Caroline allowed with a wry smile before nodding at Katherine to continue.

"I left a letter for Klaus, telling him that a witch was plotting against him in New Orleans. A witch by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux." Katherine smiled at the expression on Caroline's face. "I got in touch with the witches and told them I had two people of interest headed their way. They – "

"Two?" Caroline intoned sharply.

"Klaus and Hayley." Katherine frowned. "What? You didn't know about the little werebitch? And here I thought you'd know about everything."

Caroline's jaw visibly clenched. Katherine continued.

"The witches want Davina back, and wont mind killing you to do so." Katherine grinned menacingly as Caroline moved protectively in front of the young witch. "Oh, don't worry. I only want one thing, but I don't want to fight physically. I just had my nails done." She winked, flashing her dark red nails up for show. "Hayley was good leverage at the time – a young girl looking for her parents at any cost, willing to do anything, like report to me what she learnt from the Original family. And what's more, I have information that would curl those perfect blonde locks of yours."

"In exchange for Elijah?" Caroline said slowly. "In exchange for the man that I once regarded as my brother?"

"Yes, your brother." Katherine glanced down at the coffin he was kept in, before returning her gaze to Caroline. "And you keep him in a nice bed, too."

"I was taught by Klaus, after all." Caroline gritted – it was not for Katherine to question. "It had better be a good deal you're prepared to make, Katherine."

"Klaus is plotting a move against you." Katherine finally got to her point. "He wants to be king of the city, and since you haven't graciously stepped aside, he's trying to break it down piece by piece."

Caroline had her forearm against the older vampire's throat in a flash. Clearly third time would have to be the charm. "How do I even trust you to that, Kat." She tsked. "You're willing to lie to everyone to get what you want."

"I have proof." Katherine gritted. "Thierry attacked a vampire tonight, yes? But that vampire was compelled to kill that special little witch girl of his. Even you in your most stubborn move would admit that makes more sense."

Caroline tilted her head, considering the possibility of her words being true. It made far more sense. But still…

"How about a better deal?" Caroline offered the vampire that still squirmed under her arm. "An Original for an Original. You help me take down Klaus, and I'll allow Elijah to walk free with you."

"I'll have your word that I'll be with Elijah?" Katherine narrowed her eyes.

"You have my word that he will walk free from here." Caroline allowed, ensuring that Elijah would have a say in the matter.

Katherine grinned despite the position she was in. "It's a deal."

.

_Carolina sat at the bar. Or rather slumped at the bar. It was the tenth anniversary of the great fire of New Orleans. Ten years since buildings and people went up in flames. Ten years since the Original family had disappeared like smoke. _

_Ten years since she had seen Klaus._

_Marcel was forgetting in his own way – out on a date. Carolina suspected he wasn't even aware of the significance of the day. For if he had remembered, he would have known to keep an eye on his sire._

_As it was, she was forgetting – celebrating – in her own way, by drinking the bar dry. Even then, it wasn't enough to dull the feeling of hopelessness in her chest. They were never coming back, because they were dead. She knew it. Deep down, she could tell she was fooling herself by building up this empire. It had been to protect Klaus and the others, but in truth it was almost a pointless dream. She carried on as if to honor her tutor by using the skills he had taught her. The few whispers she had tried to put out to find the Mikaelsons had come up short, proving that either they were dead, or did not want to be found. And with that thought, a new sense of hopeless began to tear her apart. That he hadn't loved her. That none of them had. That they had become bored of her, and had moved on and left her behind in a fit of cowardice, too weak to tell her that they no longer wanted her company._

_"Boy, this place is a dump." A dark, melodious voice sounded behind Carolina._

_The blonde turned, ready to defend her bar, and glared at the brunette._

_"If you are so partial to this bar, then why don't you take your business elsewhere?"_

_"And miss seeing a sight as lovely as you?" The girl sneered. "Never."_

_Carolina felt rage well up in her chest, but it was swiftly crushed under the weight of her own misery. She turned back to the bar and took another swallow of bourbon. _

_"Not even in a fighting mood?" The girl continued, sitting down on the stool next to Carolina's. "Klaus didn't teach you well, did he?"_

_In a flash, Carolina had her hand around the brunette's throat. "What do you know about Klaus?" She demanded, her hand clenching as she said his name. She hadn't said it once in the ten years he had been gone._

_"Can't…quite…tell…you…" The girl choked out, grabbing pointedly at Carolina's hand. The blonde reluctantly let her fingers slip from the girl's throat, and the brunette sat back with a breathless chuckle._

_"I take it back, you certainly have his temper."_

_"Tell me what you know." Carolina ordered impatiently._

_The girl sighed. "That's the trouble with the Mikaelsons, and you too I gather. They don't want to waste time chatting. Not even bothering with names."_

_"Who are you, then?" Carolina asked again, playing along for the time being._

_The girl smiled. "Katherine Pierce." She introduced herself, her smile growing as Carolina's eyes widened in understanding. "I'm sure you would also know of me as 'Katerina Petrova'."_

_"Why are you volunteering this information?" Carolina hissed, glancing around for a moment. She knew of her involvement with the Originals, and while she might not have liked how she had evaded the ritual, she wasn't inhuman enough to recognize the fight or flight syndrome that Katherine had shown. Carolina knew that under the same circumstances, she would have done something quite similar. _

_"Because the Mikaelsons are as good as dead." Katherine grinned, stealing a sip of Carolina's drink. "And after years of staying as far away from Originals as possible, I figured it was time to come to the city of booze and celebrate with a couple hundred drinks."_

_"Dead?" Carolina echoed faintly, her vision swimming._

_"Mhm." Katherine nodded, recalling the scene she had escaped in Chicago, wooden bullets and vengeful papa and all. She didn't bother correcting the girl when she assumed that 'as good as dead' meant 'dead'._

_Carolina reached behind the bar front to grab the bottle of bourbon, raising it to her lips and drinking till her vision clouded even further. _

_When she came to, she found herself reclined on a couch at the back of the bar. Her head was in the lap of none other than Katherine Pierce._

_"Why're you here?" She asked the brunette again, slurring her words against her alcohol-thickened tongue._

_"Us Original girls have got to stick together now." Katherine reminded her, flashing a grin. "Besides, you're starting to be the talk of the town around here. A friend like you might come in handy. You scratch my back, I scratch yours."_

_"What could you possibly offer me?" Carolina scoffed, groaning as the small sound pinged through her head. _

_Katherine waved a glass of water temptingly in front of her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. I've been told I have killer heels."_

_._

Caroline had ensured that Katherine had left before returning upstairs to Davina and Elijah.

"You have history with her." Davina noted. "And Klaus."

"Honey, when you get to be as old as I am, you have history with a number of people." Caroline said with a small smile, before nodding to Elijah. "I'll let you rest, but before I go, I'd like a moment."

The young witch folded her arms. "You won't remove the dagger?"

Caroline eyed her coldly, and Davina was reminded about just how much the blonde ruler of New Orleans allowed her to get away with. But even the vampire had her limits with the young girl, and she knew that she was overstepping them.

"I want a moment. That's all."

Davina got to her feet and walked towards the door, pausing only once to smile softly at the blonde.

Once the door closed behind the witch, Caroline looked back at Elijah with a sigh.

"Oh, my dear, darling Elijah." She murmured. "I am so sorry. About this. About everything." Caroline picked at her fingers, falling back into the old nervous habits of her childhood, as if she were being reprimanded. "You tried to raise me so that Niklaus would not give me his worst qualities. But I'm afraid I inherited them regardless." She smiled faintly, staring at the pattern engraved on the white oak dagger. "I am greedy, and spiteful, and hungry, so hungry for power. And worst, I will do anything to avenge myself. I will keep you safe, from both your brother and from Katerina, but don't judge me for the lows that I must stoop to so I can take my vengeance on Klaus."

She sucked in a deep breath. "I loved Nik. I worry that I always will. But he murdered my happiness. And while I bear a grudge against you, Rebekah and Kol for what you did by going along with his plan to leave me, it holds no weight against the resentment I feel towards Klaus. I want him to pay. He murdered my happiness, so I will take everything he wants, and keep taking until he has nothing left."

A traitorous tear slipped down her cheek, and she brushed it away angrily before letting her eyes return to Elijah's face. "Forgive me, my brother." She whispered.

* * *

Hi!

Katherines back! What did you think?

I'm tentatively going to say that I wont be updating till next weekend, since its a special time of year.

On that note, Merry Christmas to all! Hope you have a lovely time wherever you are on this planet, and spend time with the people you love the most.

Special note to my gorgeous beta/fellow fangirl magically-muddled. So glad I've got to know you this year and shared ships with you, and thank you for all of your support!

Thank you all you wonderful readers, reviewers, favoriters and followers. What do you think is going to happen next?

xx

* Latin translation - "The greatest betrayal of the surviving vampire girl ... who runs terrified ... Wolf gave betrayal, death to witchcraft"


	7. Chapter 7

"He's resilient." Caroline said fondly as she, Davina and Marcel gazed down at Elijah where he lay still cold and grey in his coffin.

"He's like a cockroach in a suit." Marcel commented, grinning charmingly in response to the look Caroline sent his way.

"Doesn't matter." She sighed. "I still have to figure out whether to trust Katherine and honor our deal, or whether honor my promise and give Elijah back to Klaus."

Davina scowled. "I don't trust either of them. Besides, you asked me to figure out a way to kill the Originals before you made any promises or deals, and I'm not done." She threw her hand exasperatedly towards the weapon sticking out of the Original's chest. "The silver dagger _hurts _them, but that's it."

"Davina, we've been through this." Caroline said with more patience than even she knew she had. "Klaus saved my life. I owe him one. If I play nice, he might back off and I wont need to make this deal with Katherine. Since Klaus wants his brother back – "

"Tonight's the annual Dauphine Street Music Festival." Davina interjected, throwing Caroline for a loop. "I wanna go. Please?"

Caroline watched her doubtfully, and Davina turned on the charm.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeease?"

"The whole point of moving you here is so that you won't be spotted by the witches who live on that very street." Caroline explained.

"You know who works smack in the middle of Dauphine Street?" Marcel added. "Sophie Deveraux. Pain-in-the-ass witch."

Caroline smirked, recalling Marcel's special history with the witch in question. "And you know what the witches will do to you if the find you." She finished, turning towards Davina again.

"But you control the witches." Davina argued. "Make her go away."

"It's not that simple." Caroline said, squeezing Davina's hand.

"Caroline!" Davina pouted. "Its one night!"

"That's 'no', Davina." Marcel said firmly before his sire could open her mouth.

Caroline frowned at him, and Davina's expression turned sour. "I do anything and everything, but sometimes I think you forget what I'm capable of." She folded her arms. "Did you know I can make someone's blood boil? All I have to do is focus."

Rather than direct her gaze towards Caroline, Davina stared at Marcel, concentrating. She knew that she could never harm Caroline, who she regarded as a big sister now. So instead she turned her powers on Marcel, using the residual anger she felt for him deceiving her. _Caroline asked me to place him within your protection_. He had told her. _She wants you to find a way to kill them all._ Katherine had been led right to her doorstep under Marcel's instructions. Davina would know better than to trust him again. He always seemed to have his own agenda.

Sweat beaded on Marcel's brow, and heat radiated off his body. Caroline could feel it from the foot of space between them. She gazed at Davina with a mixture of trepidation and respect.

"Fine." Caroline consented, if only to save Marcel from more torment. "We'll compromise." She waited for Marcel to return to the correct temperature before she continued. "You going out alone? Too dangerous. And I can't be there tonight. But I can certainly agree with you going in the company of Marcel and a few others." She smiled at Marcel before turning back to Davina, who had a look of utter joy on her face at the prospect of not being restricted to a few safe streets of New Orleans. She had been part of the witching community for so long that being away from Dauphine Street felt unnatural.

Plus Davina had her own agenda, same as the rest of them.

.

"Over the course of my life, I've encountered no shortage of those who would presume to speak of good and evil." Klaus mused as he gazed out at the front lawn from the governor's front room. "Such terms mean nothing. People do what is in their best interest, regardless of who gets hurt." He glanced towards Kol who sat nursing a tumbler of scotch on the sofa. "Is evil to take what one wants? To satisfy hunger, even if doing so will cause another suffering? What some would call evil, I believe to be an appropriate response to a harsh and unfair world."

Kol raised his glass in a silent toast to Klaus' words.

Cami interrupted from where she sat on the couch opposite to Kol. "No offense, but I'm not sure I follow why you've invited me here."

Klaus turned back to face her front on. "Because I enjoy your company." He smiled, but it was not a friendly expression. "And I'm certain my brother agrees." He added, glancing towards Kol again, noticing how cautiously his brother watched over the blonde girl. "I recall that you have studied the mind and all its nuances."

"He's referring to your psych degree." Kol clarified, and Cami shot him a glare.

"I know what he means."

Kol sat back with a bemused smile on his face.

"And I sense that you have the capacity for understanding someone of my…complexity." Klaus continued. "You see, I returned to New Orleans to investigate a threat posed against me. What I found was a young woman, lacking in friends and family to help her, in need of protection. My older brother, always the do-gooder, tried to manipulate me into helping her – he thought it might redeem me." He held out one hand to signify Hayley, before balancing it on the other side with his other palm cupped to represent another problem. "Trouble is, I've since learned of another young woman. A girl, really, one with vast potential, held in captivity by a tyrant." He glanced up to meet Cami's eyes again. "I want to help both of these women – protect one, and free the other. So, tell me, Cami. Does that sound evil to you?"

Kol hid his smirk in his drink. Klaus was forgetting to mention that there was a third woman in the equation that he had less than chivalrous ideas for, since the lady in question was the tyrant he spoke of.

Cami ignored whatever thought Kol was trying to cover up, concentrating on the peculiar case in front of her. "I don't believe in evil as a diagnosis. I think you have unstable personal relationships, stress-related paranoia, chronic anger issues, fear of abandonment…" She trailed off, glancing towards Kol, and Klaus waved his hand in a gesture to convey his lack of care for whatever his brother overheard. No doubt Rebekah too could tune into the conversation wherever she was in the house. His issues were not hidden from his family. Their knowledge over the fact that he had fears did nothing to stop his rage anyway.

"I think you could benefit from talking to someone." Cami finished. "Professionally."

Klaus smiled wolfishly. "I think I prefer talking to you."

Kol sat up slightly, watching the scene with twice as much awareness as he had previously. Much as he loved and hated his brother with equal measure, he could only be trusted to do what Klaus thought was best for him, and no more than that.

"So, I'm going to offer you a job." Klaus poured a measure of bourbon into a glass. "As my stenographer."

Kol relaxed slightly, and Cami shrugged. "Okay. What are we writing?"

"My memoirs, of course." Klaus clarified. "Someone should know my story. And it will give us time to discuss other riveting subjects." He swallowed a mouthful of his drink, his eyes alight with dark mischief. "Like your handsome suitor, Marcel."

"Excuse me?" Cami spluttered. "My private life is – "

"Your private life, is, as it turns out, essential to my plans." Klaus interrupted. "You see, Marcel wants you. And because of that, he will trust you, which serves me, seeing as he answers to Caroline. The thing is, the French Quarter is on the verge of war. On the one side, there is me, and on the other, Caroline and her companions, like Marcel, and a very powerful witch, and an army of vampires."

Cami stood up, backing away towards the door. "What?!"

Before Klaus could even react the way he had deemed fit, Kol was already there by her side. He clasped Cami by the shoulders and let her rest against the wall.

"Your frightened." Kol murmured, his eyes locked on hers, compelling. "Don't be."

Within three seconds, Cami's heart rate slowed to a steady pulse, and her breathing eased.

"I'm not scared anymore." She frowned, before her eyes lit up with curiousity. "That's…amazing." She beamed up at Kol, not even aware of just how close he was, how his expression had become softer and his gaze had locked on her parted lips. "How did you…?"

"Its called compulsion." Klaus said, taking Kol's seat on the lounge and savoring the drink his brother had poured for himself. "It's a neat bit of vampire trickery. I'll tell you about it." He waited for Kol to step aside before he raised his glass in a salute to Cami. "But first, lets talk a little more about Marcel."

"Marcel?" Cami repeated incredulously. "Clearly you've been misinformed. He and I had one date, really. That's it."

"But you provided him with such charming company at the ball." Kol interjected.

Cami snorted. "After which he ditched me for some other blonde. I'm fairly certain it was your sister."

Klaus leaned forward in his seat. "Our sister?" His eyes narrowed. "Interesting." He glanced towards Kol and nodded, and the younger Original brother took Cami by the arm to escort her rather gently from the room, compelling her as she went.

When Kol returned to lean against the doorframe to the room, Klaus was studying the empty glass in his hands.

"It would seem that other powers have intervened." He mused, not bothering to look up to meet his younger brothers curious gaze. "My plan to sever the connection between Caroline and Marcel through his human blonde girl is clearly at an end. However, there is always his _vampire_ blonde…" Klaus shook his head with a smirk. "Clearly that man has a type." When he raised his head to look at Kol, he noticed a peculiar expression on the face of the dark haired young man.

"Does this mean that Cami will be out of the picture?"

"Naturally. She serves no further purpose."

Kol frowned. "It doesn't feel right telling her all of that only to compel her. There could have been easier means."

Klaus raised a brow. "Well, by all means, Kol. If you find an easier way to regain our city, do tell."

Kol studied Klaus' face carefully, and chose his words with far more care than usual. One daggered Original was more than enough for now, and he didn't care to join Elijah. "Joining with Caroline rather than working against her might benefit you, brother."

Klaus tilted his head, almost amused. His brother rarely showed a serious side, but when he did, he was inclined to say the most intriguing things.

"While that could benefit me as you say, I doubt she would be so forthcoming." He grinned. "Not to mention my punishment for her defying me would not come to pass."

_"Unstable personal relationships, stress-related paranoia, chronic anger issues, fear of abandonment…"_ Cami's words echoed in Kol's head, and he thought the better of his suggestion.

"What punishment did you have in mind? Her not seeing my handsome face every day? That would be the cruelest form of torture." Kol smirked, and Klaus rolled his eyes good-naturedly, the tenuous moment passing between them.

.

_Carolina milled at the bottom of the tree, a basket clutched between her slim fingers. She glanced up through the branches, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Original brother climbing through its bows._

_"Kol, hurry!" She called. "If we're caught here, I don't care about what they do to us, but if Nik finds out – "_

_"Then I will take the blame." Kol's voice floated down from between the trees. _

_The fourteen year old sighed, glancing back over her shoulder nervously. _

_Kol suddenly landed on the balls of his feet in front of her, causing her to startle. _

_"Don't do that!" She cried, her shocked expression only causing his grin to widen._

_"I got the apples, didn't I?" Kol held out the fruit, placing it safely in the confines of the basket. "Now, lets go home, before – "_

_"Before I find out that you've left the house?" An icy, dark voice sounded from behind them, and Kol and Carolina whirled around to find Klaus standing in the long grass, his arms folded over his chest._

_Carolina instinctively shrank back towards Kol, and Kol instinctively shifted to stand slightly in front of the young human girl._

_"She didn't want to come along." Kol instantly assured him. "I made her."_

_"You persuaded her to come and steal apples with you from her fathers plantation?" Klaus said, his voice on the edge of a snarl. "Somehow, I am not inclined to believe you, little brother."_

_"But Nik – "_

_"You know the consequences." Klaus said sharply, before nodding. "I will speak with you later. Carolina," His voice was now laced with honey and poison, a lethal combination of sweet and deadly. "Come here."_

_Carolina glanced uncertainly towards Kol before striding towards Klaus. Kol hesitated for a moment before leaving the property. Though his brother might be aggravated, he would never harm the girl he had saved. _

_Klaus waited till Carolina had stopped in front of him._

_"What did I say?" He asked her levelly._

_"That I was not to leave the house this month." Carolina recited. _

_"And did I give no reason for this confinement?" _

_She bit her lip in admonishment. "You did give a reason."_

_"Yes." Klaus gritted his teeth. "I told you that there were some enemies of ours that would like nothing more than to attack us where it hurts us the most. And at the moment, that is through you, Carolina."_

_"I'm sorry." The blonde blurted out, biting back tears that had sprung into her eyes._

_Klaus' face was impassive. "That does not mean that you avoid the consequences."_

_Carolina bit her tongue, holding out her right hand for a lash the same way she had been lashed for talking out of term on the property years ago._

_Klaus looked her in the eye, reading something there she couldn't fathom._

_"Go home, Carolina."_

.

"I told you, Agnes." Hayley sighed, thumping the book down on the table. "I feel great. And I don't need to leave the house."

Agnes watched her carefully. She knew about the commotion with the wolfsbane. How could she not, when it had eventuated in Katie being so brutally killed? Sabines prophecy, whatever it alluded to, had set her on edge. '_mortem tradidit proditionem lupa ut maleficia'_- did that entail Hayley betraying the witches, or Hayley being betrayed? What's more, with Sophie and Hayley being linked, it was obvious whenever one or the other was being mistreated. Sophie's neck had blossomed with purple bruises that matched Klaus' fingers to a tee. Agnes was not convinced that everyone was 'feeling great'.

"All I'm suggesting is that you get out of the house for a while." The witch countered.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do? Pop into the Quarter for a quick stroll? A werewolf girl skulking around with a witch – nothing to see here?" She sat back with a disgruntled sigh. "Besides, Klaus would definitely be opposed to that."

"There are ways around that." Agnes assured her. "And it wouldn't be in the Quarter. I could drive you out to the bayou where your family used to live. A nice opportunity to go through things your father left. Off the beaten path. At night, just to be sure. Vampires will never get word of it."

Hayley considered it for a moment. She missed being able to walk around freely, and the bayou would be her closest connection to nature for a while.

"Please go." Rebekah sneered as she tuned in from the other side of the room. "It'll give us a chance to air out the slutty wolf scent from the house."

Hayley made an unladylike face at Rebekah's back, before turning back to Agnes. "Okay. Fine. Bayou night walk it is."

Agnes nodded, and they walked out together. Rebekah barely bothered to acknowledge their departure as she worked on her laptop, zooming in on building after building around the French Quarter using online maps.

Klaus leisurely strolled in and watched her work.

"Please, sister, tell me you're not still at it with the internet search." He sighed. "How does one begin anyway? Just type in 'anonymous attic'?"

Rebekah scowled at him. "You were so convinced that Caroline was going to hand over our brother, but you've got nothing to prove for it. Someone has to find Elijah. Even if I have to search every bloody attic in New Orleans." Caroline might have been right in what she said to Rebekah – Klaus was not to be trusted with the safety and wellbeing of Elijah. But Rebekah herself, on the other hand…she knew that she looked out for her older brother.

"Like looking for a needle in a rather large pile of needles." Klaus quipped in regards to Rebekah's attic-hunting, settling in his favored arm chair.

"I remember details about the attic Caroline took me to." Rebekah muttered partially to herself. "There were shutters on the windows behind Elijah's coffin."

Klaus scoffed. "Well, that should narrow it down immensely."

Rebekah was sorely tempted to poke out her tongue at him, but she kept her dignity and poise – what little she had left.

"Myself, I prefer actual strategy as opposed to mind-numbing labor." Klaus continued. "Caroline's delay in returning out brother as promised makes me suspect that she may not have complete control over the situation. Since Elijah is in the clutches of Davina, perhaps the young witch will be open to discussing a new agreement."

Rebekah paused to look up at her brother with a bitter smile. "As usual, your power grabs are more important than rescuing our brother."

Klaus had the decency to pretend to be offended. "I prefer to think of it as killing two birds with one stone. Rob Caroline of her secret weapon, bring our brother home."

"And where does Caroline herself fit into all of this?" Rebekah asked snidely. "Will you be out charming her tonight to distract her? Last time worked quite well, clearly."

Klaus frowned. While Rebekah may have been attempting to merely wound him, she was right. "As for the moment, she isn't required for anything more than being distracted. I might set Kol on the job, seeing as they got along so well the other night."

"You know why that is, right brother?" Rebekah said airily, flicking through more pictures and ignoring Klaus' fierce expression.

"Why is that, Rebekah?" Klaus gritted out.

"Those two are like peas in a pod." She noted. "You've just brought together two souls that are perfect for one another."

Klaus gripped the arm of the chair, his fingers tearing through the material as if it were warm butter. "Oh, I'm not so sure." He said breezily. "They may be too alike."

"Funny." Rebekah smirked. "That's what they used to say about you and her." She watched him glower at her across the coffee table. "But not anymore." She reminded him. She grinned as he stormed out of the room.

.

Caroline walked down Dauphine Street as night fell and the people came out to play, giving a few final commands to the vampires who fell in step behind her.

"Big event tonight, a lot of people drinking, a lot of eyes watching. I don't want any trouble, which means no witches. I've sent word through the Cauldron that any witch shows here, we kill them, so remember that. And while you're at it, no Originals." She grimaced. Much as she loved Rebekah and Kol still, they were a little too dedicated to their brother for the time being. "Marcel will be here tonight with a friend of his – a little brunette. I want eyes on them at all times; eyes _only_." She spun around to search each of her followers faces. "I don't want anyone getting _near_ either of them. Everybody's got a post, everybody keeps an eye out. Okay?" Caroline waited for a nod from every vampire before she beamed at them. "Excellent."

The vampires melted away into the dark as she turned and walked to the bar on the corner, Rousseau's. Marcel was already seated at a table with Davina.

"So, is it everything you hoped for?" Caroline asked Davina as she came close.

"Yeah!" Davina gushed, hopping up and giving Caroline a hug.

"Excellent." The blonde smiled, glancing over to Marcel. "I just wanted to pop by before I left, make sure you were having fun, and remind you – "

"I know." Davina rolled her eyes with a sigh. "I wont talk to anyone about anything. I know the list that I have to follow."

"Well you've had plenty of time to memorize the color coded chart." Caroline teased, and Davina laughed.

"I'll be back in a few hours. I'm sure the party will still be going. You enjoy yourself till then, okay?" She beamed at the young witch, and winked at Marcel before leaving just as quickly as she had come.

.

Agnes pulled up to a shack in the Bayou. The hairs on the back of Hayley's neck prickled.

"My family used to live _here_?" She asked incredulously.

Agnes patted her hand comfortingly. To Hayley, it felt like dry autumn leaves brushing across her knuckles. "They only came out this far because Caroline's team keep terrorizing them. Don't you want to stretch your legs?"

Hayley felt a sense of trepidation at her words, but the desire to know about her family's past won out. She climbed out of the car and walked towards the door.

Agnes watched her leave, the smile slipping off her face. She retrieved her phone and dialed a short, simple number.

"She's here. The trap is in place. Do it quickly." The witch muttered into the receiver.

.

"So, what's his name?" Marcel asked Davina, after watching the girl sit with her eyes locked on one musician in particular for the entire performance.

Davina's gaze flitted over to him for a second, not realizing she had been caught out.

"The guy with the fiddle?" He prompted, smirking in response to Davina's blush.

"Tim." Davina confessed, a little more at ease. If Caroline trusted Marcel to take care of her, then so could she. "I knew he would be here. He always performs at these kind of things."

Marcel glanced back at the musician, a slight pucker forming in his brow. "How long have you two known each other?"

"Since we were ten." Davina replied. "You know that I had to leave school, and I didn't get to say goodbye. So I was just hoping to talk to him tonight."

Marcel nodded, the entire scenario becoming clear to him. The young witch had her own agenda. Everyone in this town had their own plans and goals that they were completely comfortable manipulating people for. While the girl clearly placed a lot of trust in Caroline, and looked up to her as an older sister, she didn't want the blonde to know about her crush.

"Then by all means, honey, go talk to him." Marcel encouraged, taking a sip of his recently refilled scotch. "I wont be going anywhere."

"Really?" Davina's eyes lit up. "You sure?"

He smiled genuinely at the girls enthusiasm, and the young witch slipped off into the crowd to get closer to the stage. He watched her go, protective of both Davina and the powerful magic she possessed.

.

Klaus watched Marcel and the girl from across the bar. He had passed Caroline's vampire guards with such ease that he was almost concerned she had another plan in mind other than protecting and indulging her secret weapon. But no, clearly she had simply misjudged his power.

Kol hovered by his side, impatient. He had been cajoled into coming along to distract Caroline, but with the blonde nowhere in sight, he was left taskless.

"She must be elsewhere." Klaus murmured to his brother. "Track her down, and make sure she wont be near us for the rest of the night."

"You're giving me free reign on this?" Kol smirked. "Are there any lengths I should go to so as to keep her occupied for the _entire_ night?"

Klaus' jaw clenched, but he kept his voice level. "Torture her, seduce her, tie her up to a bed if you must." He shrugged, turning to catch Kol's eye. "I don't _care_." His eyes said the opposite, conveying to his younger brother that if he so much as thought about kissing Caroline, he would be back in a coffin with a dagger in him so fast that he wouldn't have time to fully comprehend the action.

Kol's smirk merely widened before he gave a mocking bow and was out the door before Klaus could do more than tighten his fists.

Klaus swore at the empty space Kol left in his wake, downing his drink and walking over to the bar to order another. He passed by Marcel, and the vampire tensed.

"No trouble tonight, old friend." Klaus assured him.

"You only ever bring trouble, Klaus." Marcel sighed. "What do you want?"

Klaus gestured towards the bartender for another glass. "Only to have a drink with an old comrade." He smiled cruelly at Marcel. "Isn't that what peace is all about?"

"Peace? You hate the word." Marcel scoffed.

"That would be Tibalt." Klaus corrected, referring to Shakespeare's renowned play. "But my family would give the Capulets a run for their money. If anything,

"You are no Romeo either."

"You're quite right. That would be you with my sister."

Marcel smirked proudly. "What can I say? Old habits die hard."

Klaus tilted his head, watching the vampire carefully. "What are you planning?"

"My plans are as much my own business as yours are to you." Marcel replied smoothly.

"Now, see, I'm starting to think that they aren't." Klaus said, twisting his glass so the amber liquid caught the light. He watched the process as Marcel watched him.

"How so?" He asked Klaus.

The Original hybrid chuckled. "Oh, its written in every gesture. You want Caroline gone as much as I do. And you want her throne too. Only you're working from a different angle to me. You want the trust of her people, so you can obtain the top place the same way as a prince inherits the crown from the king." Klaus glanced up to meet Marcel's frozen gaze. "Am I wrong?"

Marcel was silent, prompting Klaus to continue.

"Of course, it won't work."

"And why is that?" Marcel asked quietly.

Klaus smirked. "You may be ruthless, Marcellus, but you have one fatal weakness." He leaned forward conspiratorially. _"Pretty blondes."_

Marcel's eyes narrowed, but he kept his cool. "See, you might be right. But unfortunately, that's your weakness too."

A muscle jumped in Klaus' jaw, but Marcel continued blindly.

"Only its not just pretty blondes with you, its Caroline. And I just love that, because that means that I set up the means for your plan to fail years and years ago when I got her in my bed. You might think that this town is yours, this community is yours, and this girl is yours, but the fact is that _none_ of it belongs to you anymore."

Klaus was left speechless with rage, devising the best means for Marcel's life to end, when a bubbly young girl bounced up to Marcel.

"Tim's invited me to dinner – oh." She paused, catching sight of Klaus.

"You know who I am." Klaus gritted out darkly. "Fantastic. Now run along, dear. I'll deal with you later."

"Not so fast, Davina." Marcel said, never taking his eyes off Klaus. "You're not leaving my side."

"I can take care of myself." The girl said indignantly. "Or do I need to show you again?"

Marcel's fist clenched. "Fine."

"He doesn't want you to leave, Davina, because he is in need of your protection from the big bad wolf." Klaus mocked. "But there is no need, Marcellus. I wont kill you tonight." He leaned in, his eyes burning the brilliant bright blue of a dying star. "You know of my ways. I prefer to let you savor fear, jumping at every noise, always glancing over your shoulder, until you let your guard down for one second. Because that's all it will take. Just one second. One tiny little second, and then your heart will be on the ground in front of you, so for the last moment of your measly life you can see the spectacular sight of your lifes blood pumping out of your mangled, detached heart." Klaus smiled, before nodding once to Davina as he stood to leave. "Have a good evening, little witch."

.

Rebekah had finally found it. She recognized the window shutters from a mile away, thanks to her supernatural eyesight.

A priest swept the floor in front of the pews. He glanced up as she entered, before going back to his task. "Church is closed. If you want your horror fix, go take a ghost tour."

Rebekah frowned, glancing towards the ground he cleaned and recognizing the pattern of blood. Something had happened here. Something unholy.

"I don't much care for ghosts." She shrugged. "I am, however, fascinated by window shutters. I've been on a town tour of them all day. I noticed the windows of your attic have shutters."

The priest glanced up sharply, and if she had had any doubts before, she knew she was in the right place now. "Are you really interested in shutters?"

"I can assure you its my current life obsession." She smiled slowly. "What's your name?"

"Father Kieran." He introduced himself, before gesturing towards the blonde Original. "And you are?"

"Mildly curious." Rebekah brushed off, glancing towards the blood stains again. "What happened here?"

"St Ann's used to be the heart of the neighbourhood." Father Kieran studied the gothic architecture fondly. "It's been abandoned for a while now. Since the night of the massacre." He sighed, his thoughts somewhere far from the present. "Nine seminary students killed, by one of their own." He blinked, before frowning towards her. "You're standing on blood."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "I'm not squeamish. Where's the attic?"

"Like I said, the church is closed." He shrugged her off, but she moved to block his path.

_"Where is the attic?" _She compelled him.

"Past the sacristy, up the stairs." Father Kieran murmured dazedly.

Rebekah grinned devilishly. "Thank you. Now, forget I was here."

She climbed the stairwell to a landing, and her memory kicked into gear. She had been here before, she knew it.

Rebekah kicked the door open, feeling the power radiate from the doorway. Her invitation had somehow been revoked, clearly, and she couldn't cross the threshold. No matter. The door swung open with the force of her foot, revealing the attic.

She gasped.

.

Caroline was intercepted by Kol on her way out of the Quarter.

"Leaving the festival so soon?" He pouted as he stood, blocking her way on the footpath. "And here I thought we could have a drink."

She scowled, hands on her hips. "I've got business to attend to. I'm not in the mood, Kol."

"Shame, because I am." He grinned boyishly.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Do I always have to have an excuse to have a drink with you?" He asked innocently.

"Certainly, when there's something else on your mind that you'd prefer to discuss."

Kol smiled. "I suppose you're expecting me to ask about my brother."

"Which one?" Caroline remarked dryly. "As far as I can see, all you Original brothers are the bane of my existence right now."

"Just as quick witted as ever." He sighed. "Oh, how I've missed our barbed conversations."

"You want Elijah back, right?" Caroline asked, attempting to continue walking. He shifted so he was in front of her, as if he had never moved.

"I wouldn't bother asking anything else of you. Especially since if it concerned my brothers, the only other one I have is Niklaus, and that conversation would last all night at least."

"Well I can't give you Elijah." She snapped, trying to walk again only to find her path blocked.

"And why's that, darling?" Kol pouted. "Because you and Nik are still having the 'I hate/love you more' battle?"

Caroline's composure broke for a split second, and she angrily shoved Kol out of the way with both hands on his chest. He let her pass, stunned.

"No," She snarled over her shoulder as she sashayed away. "Because Elijah's gone."

.

_Two hours earlier_

Caroline had waited till Davina was guaranteed to be on her way to the festival. She hated doing things this way, especially since it was her kingdom, and she shouldn't' have to bow down to the whims of a young witch, but at least this way, she was the only one who knew that Elijah was up and breathing again.

She walked over to the coffin, opening the lid slowly out of habit. It never felt right to open them loudly, almost as if she would wake the Original sleeping inside. Only they weren't sleeping. They were dead.

Well, so was she.

Caroline smoothed a few wisps of brown hair off of Elijah's brow, a faint smile on her face. "Time to wake up." She murmured, before grasping the silver dagger and pulling it from his chest.

.

Hayley wandered through the rooms of the old abandoned shack. The furniture that had once filled its rooms now lay broken, either pulled apart to be salvaged or simply in pieces as a result of time passing. She peered at the few books that were left in a rickety old bookcase, trying to make out the titles while Agnes mumbled on the phone in the other room.

"I thought you would be here by now." Agnes hissed into the receiver.

Sophie's voice crackled over the line. _"We are. Where are you?"_

Agnes' blood froze. "The water shed."

_"We're at the old camping ground, just like the change of plans said."_ Sophie's voice rose in panic. _"Agnes –"_

The phone was snatched form her grasp and crushed under a heeled foot before she could draw breath to respond. Agnes looked up to see none other than the woman who the witches had believed would help them.

Katherine.

Hayley tilted her head at the sound of the commotion. Her skin prickled with unease, and her fight or flight sense kicked into gear, her legs pushing her towards the door –

Caroline appeared in the doorway before Hayley could rush out, a cold smile lighting up her face.

"Hi, Hayley." She said brightly, before her hand reached out to clasp the wolfgirl by the roots of her hair. "Bye, Hayley."

Before Caroline could do any permanent damage, a hand grasped her wrist. She looked up to see Elijah with a grave expression on his face.

"Elijah," Caroline sighed under her breath like a curse. "Give me one good reason – "

"I can give you two." Elijah replied smoothly. "She is linked to Sophie Deveraux, a witch in your community. And she is the only living descendent of Klaus' werewolf father."

Caroline's grip merely tightened in Hayley's hair, causing the girl to whimper. "Didn't Katherine tell you? She set up this whole crazy chess game. She told the witches to lie and say that Hayley was related to Klaus, because that was the easiest way to involve him and your family. Its all a sham, Elijah." The blonde placed a comforting hand on top of Elijah's, before gently prying the Original's hand off of hers and twisting the werewolf's hair so tears pricked Hayley's eyes.

"Now, as for Sophie Deveraux," Caroline exhaled with a bitter expression. "There might be use for the witch. But only if she is unlinked."

.

"Hello, Agnes." Katherine smiled darkly. "You seem quite without witches here."

"Why aren't they here, Katherine?" Agnes frowned.

"Because I betrayed you all." Katherine said slowly, as if explaining something very simple.

Agnes reeled back, confusion etched in the wrinkles of her face. "I don't understand."

Katherine smirked, her eyes wide with faux-innocence. "What, you didn't think I would actually send the witches something useful?" She grabbed the witch by the arm, tugging her into the room where Caroline stood over Hayley, her fingers twisting painfully in her hair. The weregirl scrabbled at her wrist with blunt nails, but Caroline batted them away as if they were no more than irritable flies.

Elijah remained by the front door, watching the scene unfold with a careful eye.

"You said you would help us." Agnes spluttered as Katherine hustled her along. "That you wanted the same thing as us."

"Well, I'm a very talented liar." Katherine batted her lashes. "I've had a few centuries to practice, after all. Why would I ever want to hurt this lovely girl here?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at Katherine's dramatics. They still hated each other at the best of times. A combination of mistrust and jealousy was difficult to overcome, no matter the number of years of companionship that lay between them.

"Its simple, Agnes." Caroline stated. "I want to kill this wereslut here. Hayley is connected to Sophie, which would result in two deaths. That's just a waste." She tutted. "So I'll give you a chance to half the death number. Unlink Sophie from Hayley."

"Why?" The old witch muttered.

"To save one of your own, of course." Caroline shook her head. "Simple."

Agnes glared at Caroline. "_Phesmatos omnio legares cardate sangorium."_

Despite the cover of the old shack, a blast of wind managed to snake its way past the door, whipping around Hayley once before settling back to dead air.

"Its done." The old witch muttered.

"Excellent." Katherine smirked, turning her attention towards Caroline and Hayley. It was her big mistake.

Agnes grabbed hold of the broken leg of a table, swinging it around towards Katherine. Elijah was there in the blink of an eye, taking the blow for Katherine. The brunette doppelganger gasped as the shard of wood pierced Elijah's body, barely grazing her as it exited through his back.

The Original sighed in a world-weary sense, before pulling out the stake, flipping it with a skilled hand, and driving it through Agnes' chest in return.

"I swore to you that if you tried to hurt the ones I cared about, that I would not think twice about ending your life." He said, his voice like gravel.

The old witch gasped, her eyes flaring wide before she crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The entire exchange was over in a matter of seconds.

Katherine rested her head on Elijah's shoulder in a wordless expression of thanks, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she had held.

Elijah rested one hand on top of her curls, before turning towards Caroline. "You can't kill her."

Caroline frowned. "Not only can I, I have to. I have a reputation to uphold, and an empire to protect. Moreover, I want to." She unknowingly echoed her sire's words from centuries before as she twisted her hand painfully again in Hayley's hair, and the girl let out a short shriek.

"When I said that you can't kill her, what I meant was that you can't kill her _now_." Elijah clarified sharply. "Take her back to Niklaus. Explain this whole affair, and tell him that the witches were the ones against him."

"Elijah, that's a death sentence." Katherine protested.

The Original lay a calming hand on Katherine's shoulder. "You and I will worry about that. I wont let him harm you again, Katarina." He turned back to Caroline. "And you will be free of my brother, as you so wish."

"I somehow doubt that giving him a girl he has realized is no longer related to him is going to get him off my front porch." Caroline scoffed, not letting Hayley go.

"Oh, I didn't suggest that you inform him of the true nature of this web of lies." Elijah raised his brows. "As far as everyone else is concerned, Hayley is of Niklaus' bloodline. She wont think to counter this, because the moment that she does, my brother would not think twice about killing her on the spot. Trade Hayley for Niklaus' departure from New Orleans."

Caroline studied Elijah. "And what do you gain from this?"

"Me?" He chuckled. "I gain a life. Like it or not, your presence in this town has brought my family together again, and has shown me its weaknesses. It has shown me that I need to truly live separate from my brother until he has changed for the better." Elijah smiled faintly at Caroline. "And I regain my sister from centuries ago."

Caroline tried to keep her heart cold to his warm words, but it was all in vain. She loosened her grip on Hayley's hair and let the werewolf fall to the floor with a thump.

.

_Carolina's presence had brightened the house from the very first day. Not only did her bubble personality illuminate their lives, but the child's company assured that there would be real changes to the mansion they called home. There was no question about leaving bodies lying around the house for her to stumble across them. Neither was there an option for the family to get into squabbles that left the siblings with wooden stakes through arms or legs. And under no circumstances would Klaus be able to dagger any of his remaining siblings with a white oak dagger._

_In return, Carolina filled the house with laughter. She learnt to play the piano with a diligence that astounded even Elijah, and the tinkling sound could be heard in the house at any waking hour. Klaus even allowed the girl near his paints, and colorful portraits of the Originals she now called family found their way into their rooms. _

_The most pleasing decorative addition in Elijah's eyes were the wildflowers the girl collected without fail every day to place through the house at seemingly random points. Daisies, primroses, magnolias, silver bells, even a marigold or two would spring up in pots and jars, filling the air with a light, pleasing scent that chased away any ill mood in the house. _

_It was days after Carolina's tenth birthday, when she had been with them for just over a year, that Elijah glanced up from where he read in the study to find Carolina loitering uncertainly by the door. When he caught her eye, the girl almost seemed to rock up on her toes as if she were about to flit away. Then, with a determined set to her jaw, she marched across the room, lay a sunflower across his left knee, curtseyed deeply as Rebekah had trained her to do, and fled the room with a flash of blonde curls in her wake. _

.

Hayley had her wrists bound before she was taken out to the car. Elijah led her there, and she glared at him scornfully.

"I do _not_ need you to save my life." Hayley spat. "Regardless of whatever weird feelings you might have for me."

"I did not save your life." Elijah replied with equal contempt. "I merely extended it by a number of days. But do not bother to place the blame of my actions on any feelings I might have had for you. If anything, it is my sense of justice that prolonged your life. This way, you can be held accountable for your actions of betrayal." Elijah had a peculiar expression on his face – a mixture of anger, bitterness, and disappointment. Hayley couldn't tell whether it was disappointment that he felt towards her, or towards himself.

"And what about you betraying your brother?" She snarled.

If his expression had been odd before, a new emotion flitted across it, making it even more unreadable. It was almost…a pleased smirk.

Elijah didn't give her much of a chance to decipher his expression before he had settled her in the back of the car and shut the door.

.

Caroline encouraged Elijah and Katherine to return to her house – the Mikaelsons house – in the French Quarter with Hayley to keep her safe their for the time being. She had other business to attend to.

When she reached Dauphine Street, the festival had finished, but the bar patrons were still going strong. She searched through the throng for Marcel and Davina, icy fear collecting in her stomach when her hunt came up short. She checked with every guard she had posted for the evening, but no one recalled seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Hoping that Marcel had simply taken her back to the attic, Caroline rushed to the church. She raced along the sidewalk, calling Davina's number as she went, and coming up with the message service every time. Just as she was about to give up hope as she stormed through the pews, two things happened simultaneously.

Caroline heard Davina's voice on the other end of the line, just as she also heard a footstep across the floorboards in Davina's room.

_"Sorry, Caroline, I haven't been near my phone."_ The girl apologized, sounding cheerful, the noises of a crowd leaking through the speaker. _"Is everything all right?"_

"Just wondering where you are, little dove." Caroline replied smoothly, edging towards the stairs. Whoever it was upstairs, she highly doubted it was Davina.

_"I'm at dinner. Marcel said he'd be back in a minute, but I'm safe."_ Davina's voice took on a worried edge. _"Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine." Caroline said, gritting her teeth. She had a feeling she knew who was upstairs, and she certainly wasn't happy. "I'll call you back soon, okay? Stay wherever you are, and make sure Marcel stays with you from now on." She hung up before Davina could answer, and opened the door to the attic.

Klaus glanced up from where he studied Davina's paintings.

"Quite a talent." He mused. "Though as I recall, your skills were a little more refined by this age. Shame you didn't teach her the techniques I taught you."

"I didn't want to corrupt her style." Caroline replied, folding her arms. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it funny," Klaus sighed, clasping his hands behind his back. "We always strive to protect what is dearest to us, and in doing so, we leave ourselves open to vulnerability."

"Why are you here?" Caroline repeated, though she had a feeling he wouldn't answer her question if it was the last thing he ever said.

"Why did you sleep with Marcel?" He asked sharply, turning to face her properly across the room.

His unexpected question left Caroline struggling for words. "I don't recall it ever being your business who I slept with."

"Once upon a time, it was." Klaus said ominously.

"And once upon a time, it was you." She retorted, her anger rising fast. "But those days are finished, and buried. And you should be too." She stormed towards him, baring her teeth. "Get out of my town."

"It was mine, and it is mine." He growled. "Just as you were mine, and should be mine."

His words caught her off guard, and she sucked in a startled breath as he leaned in, inches from her face, his breath mixing hotly with her own. Her eyes reflexively fluttered closed, and her senses went into overload. Her body had almost forgotten just how thrilling his own felt when it was inches away from her skin, her nose had almost forgotten the scent that was unique to him – woodlands after an electric storm. And his taste, how could she forget his taste…

_"Mine,"_ Klaus murmured darkly, and Caroline's eyes flashed open again, her feet carrying her backwards, away from him. The loss of his body heat flashed across her skin almost painfully.

"No. Not yours." She said, thankful that her voice didn't shake. She was strong against him. She could face the big bad wolf.

"Why?" Klaus countered, his stormy eyes never leaving hers as he crossed the room with purposeful strides.

"Because I'm not yours." Caroline snapped, trying to weaken him.

It merely made his anger grow, and he stood over her once more.

"Its always been you for me, sweetheart." He snarled at her. "Though clearly it hasn't been the same for you, jumping from bed to bed like the harlot of New Orleans."

Caroline's hand snapped out and across his cheek with a sharp slap that made Klaus' ears ring and his vision swim. "Shut up!" She growled, not caring how immature she sounded. She was too angry to care.

Klaus was intrigued by the emotions he was managing to bring out in her. And he needed a good fight. He always loved a good fight.

"How long did you wait after our departure before finding another?"

"I thought you had been caught by Mikael." Caroline yelled. "I waited for you to return and find me, but you never did. I thought he had finally succeeded in killing you. Clearly I was wrong in thinking you weren't a coward."

It finally provoked Klaus' rage. "Say that again." He dared, his eyes wide and challenging as he stood face to face with her.

She refused to blink. "You are a coward." Caroline said each word perfectly clear, each syllable piercing Klaus' armor. It hurt him. He had forgotten he could be so easily hurt by this girl who knew him too well.

"And how long did you mourn, then?" He taunted. "If you thought us all dead."

"Clearly too long." She retorted. "I should have done as you think I did, and jumped into bed with the first man who knocked on my door. If you think that what we had was so insignificant, I wouldn't be surprised if you had done the same."

"After all of our history, after everything, you think so little of me?" Klaus scoffed, his blood boiling, his control stretched thin. "I taught you everything, protected you, and you saw me as a King."

"That's what this is?" Caroline balled her hands, her nails biting into her palms. "You want to be seen as a God? What is wrong with you? You lacked the power to stand up to Mikael before, but you had me. You had love. You had a family that was united and happy. But it was never enough. You want power. That's all you've ever wanted." She looked him over as if he were the Devil himself. "God, I feel sorry for you."

Caroline turned on her heel, intent on running from the room to allow the emotions he had brought to the surface to break out far away from him, but he already stood in her way, towering over her.

"Don't turn your back on me!" He growled.

"I should have turned my back on you centuries ago!" She shouted back in his face. "But I clearly can't quit myself of you. So instead, I'll resolve to bring you nothing but misery." She flashed around him to leave, and this time he was not quick enough to block her way. He caught her wrist instead, pulling her back towards him.

"Let go." She snarled, nails clawing at his arm like a wildcat. He held fast, realizing what Elijah had gone through as he fought for his brother to stay in New Orleans. _"I will not let go, I will never let go."_ It was too painful to let go, no matter how much it hurt him to hold on, he would hold on till his last breath for the alternative was too harsh to bear.

Klaus held on even as Caroline thrashed against him, her blonde curls whipping around their heads like beams of light, the leather necklace she wore beating a staccato rhythm against one of his arms. Her snarls turned to half-sobs; she refused to cry in front of him, but muscle memory was a bitch.

_She was ten, and the nightmares were still plaguing her, and he fought his way to her through the tangle of bedsheets and curtain hangings to hold her close and whisper soothing praise into her hair until her breathing had calmed and she had fallen asleep mid hiccup._

_She was thirteen, and had caught her leg on wire as she made her way home, and had trooped grimly up to the door where he found her, blood pouring down her leg, fierce tears of pain pouring down her face, and he had let her clench his hand tightly as he patched up the wound as best as he could, all the while fighting the black veins of bloodlust that threatened to transform his eyes a ghastly shade of red._

_She was fifteen, and a boy who had been her dance partner at the ball had laughed at her when she tripped in the quadrille, and Klaus had promptly broke the boy's nose but no more at her insistence, as she clung clumsily to Klaus' waistcoat and buried her head in his ruffled shirt._

_She was seventeen and insisting that he turn her into a vampire, 'please, Nik, let me be like you, please', alternating between arguments and pleas, all the while tears coursing down her cheeks as his answer continued to be 'no'…_

"Why did you turn me?" Caroline found herself asking, chanting it over and over in a soft murmur. "Why, why, why?"

Klaus raised a hand to her hair as she pressed her face into his shoulder. "You know why, love."

"But you can't say it." She realized. "And until you can say it, then I don't think I can ever know for sure."

He wanted power. That's all he ever wanted. His humanity was so corrupt that his want for power went beyond any other emotion. Caroline exhaled, steeling herself. She pulled away from him before she could do anything else that she would regret.

"Caroline – "

"Don't follow me." She snapped, turning only once to face him. His expression was heartbreaking, but hers was a sight to behold – tears drying on her face, her features set in a tragic expression of strength. She held his gaze for a second before she turned back and left the room.

.

_"Its time." Kol barged in on Rebekah, Klaus and Carolina as they sat together comfortably by the fire. They turned to look at him questioningly, and their gaze shifted to Elijah who walked into the room after Kol._

_"He's here in town." Elijah stated gravely. All attention turned to Klaus, waiting for the next move._

_"Gather anything you can't leave." He said darkly, standing and pulling Carolina to her feet. "We meet in the courtyard in five minutes."_

_The family disappeared from the room in a shift of air. Klaus kept Carolina by his side, his gaze taking in every movement as he pulled her down the corridor._

_"I can walk perfectly fine by myself." She snapped, but he ignored her. "Niklaus, let go of my wrist."_

_"He has tracked us down, sweetheart." Klaus reminded her._

_"And so we will run." Carolina said. "I might have only lived for two centuries or so, but I know enough about your past with Mi – " Klaus shot her a look, and she bit er tongue. "With him. But we will move elsewhere, and continue as your family has always done."_

_They reached the room that had once been Klaus' but they now shared. Carolina demanded no less. She wasn't going to bother with him if he wouldn't acknowledge that she had equal rights, equal power. They were both stubborn in that regard, but their care for each other outshone that._

_"Shall I fetch Marcellus?" Carolina asked as Klaus gathered some trinkets in a box. "Or no, I'm sure Rebekah will have already seen to that. You wouldn't leave him either." She babbled, toying with her own fingers in worry. Despite everything, she didn't want to interfere with what she was certain the Mikaelsons had done countless times over the centuries – packing and running and settling once more._

_Klaus paused momentarily before packing away the last few items – a sketch of her, a diamond eternity bracelet, one of his leather necklaces from his days back in the area now known as Mystic Falls – and closing the lid on the box. He turned and pressed it into Carolina's hands. She took it, turning to go and wait in the courtyard as he had stated before._

_Klaus caught her by the waist, making her turn back to him with a furrow in her brow._

_"What is it?" She asked, her eyes searching his troubled face. He raised one hand to cup her face, and her frown deepened. __"Nik, what is it?"_

_"I want you to do something." He said softly, his pupils dilating. Carolina knew what was coming next._

_"No, no, no, no," She shook her head, trying to break free of his grasp. "Don't do this to me, Nik, please, I love you too much – "_

_Klaus held her tightly and tenderly, his grip strong but gentle. He could only ever manage to be both for her. "Carolina, look at me, love."_

_Carolina looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. She wanted to run from him, just so he could stay with her. It was the strangest contradiction._

_"When I tell you to, go into the cellar. Marcellus will meet you there. You may not leave the cellar until Mikael has gone from the city. You may not remember the existence of the Mikaelson family until you have left the cellar. Forget me until then." Klaus blinked back tears from his own eyes. "I am so sorry, sweetheart."_

_Before the compulsion overrode her system, Carolina lurched forward and captured his lips with hers, yearning for one last taste of him in case she never got the opportunity again. He met her fierce kiss, clutching desperately at her, holding her tightly against him because he knew that when he let go, it would be for the last time. He wanted so terribly for her to come with them, but it was too dangerous. He wouldn't risk never seeing her again if it meant he could be with her in the future. He was selfish in that sense._

_Klaus was the one to break the kiss, knowing that the sooner she was safely hidden, the better. He stroked her cheek one last time, chasing her fallen tears away with his fingertips. _

_The commands he had compelled her to follow washed through her, and Carolina was left standing before him, blinking in confusion._

_"Who are you?"_

_Klaus schooled his face into a scowl of indifference. "It does not concern you. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"_

_Carolina frowned, as if something in her memory was troubling her, before raising her gaze to the Original. "I do. But are you alright, sir?"_

_"Why would it matter to you?" He tilted his head, wondering if the compulsion hadn't worked._

_"I don't know." The furrow in her brow deepened. "I just feel as if – "_

_"It doesn't matter." He shrugged, picking up a box – the box she had dropped – from the ground, before pressing it into her hands. "Go." He ordered her without meeting her eyes. He couldn't bear it. Klaus turned to leave through another doorway, and Carolina fell into step behind him, the box he had given her still clutched in her grasp._

_"Don't follow me." He snapped, and she faltered._

_"But – "_

_"Oh for goodness sake, girl." Klaus snarled, keeping his gaze forward. "You're collateral damage, that's all. Now go down to the cellar."_

_The command triggered something deep inside Carolina, and she found her feet carrying her away from Klaus and down past the courtyard into the cellar before she could even register the unbidden tears that continued to fall from her eyes._

_Marcellus joined Carolina in the cellar moments later. She frowned up at him from her perch on a crate of wine as he descended the stone steps.  
"I remember you, but I do not remember why I am here." Carolina stated.  
"Neither do I." Marcellus admitted._

_The pair both had the same blank look on their face as they sat in silence, watching the wax drip down the fat candles that had been lit in the cellar._

_A while later, a man burst through the door at the top of the stairs, making them both jump. He had a fearsome expression on his face as he stormed down the stairs towards them. Carolina swore the expression reminded her of someone…it was peculiar. The features made her think of one dark haired man, while the way the muscles moved to create the emotion on his face reminded her of another lighter haired man. But the moment she attempted to think of who those men were, the thought chased itself out of her head, and she forgot about it._

_"Who are you?" The man barked at them._

_"I am Carolina Forbes." She answered without thought. "And this is Marcellus Gerard."_

_"And why are you in this cellar?" The man continued to question them._

_"This is our home." Carolina answered blankly._

_The man studied her face before turning to Marcellus._

_"How did you get down here?"_

_"We did as we were told." He replied without control over his answer._

_The man frowned, cursing to himself. "You're nothing but the house owners." He muttered in disgust, turning and stamping his way back up the stairs. "Klaus will do anything to cover his measly tracks."_

_The man left, his footsteps echoing across the courtyard above their heads._

_Carolina and Marcellus remained down in the cellar for an entire day. They wanted to leave the cellar and feed. They could feel their bodies starting to desiccate. But they couldn't make it past the second step of the cellar._

_They felt it when they were free, though. It was as if a sudden weight had been lifted off them. The two of them walked up the steps, the quest to sake their thirst for blood the one thing on their minds. But the moment they left the doorway of the cellar, their memories hit them like a wave._

_Carolina collapsed to her knees with the weight of it all. Her heart felt as if it was so heavy that it would drag her down past the cellar and to the bowels of the Earth._

_"Nik," She gasped out of her suddenly hiccupping throat. "Elijah, Rebekah, Kol, Nik. Oh, Nik." Caroline sobbed, barely conscious of Marcellus still standing next to her. His face was grim as he remembered Rebekah, his lover, and the Mikaelsons, his companions while his sire wept on the ground next to him._

_"Did he say anything to you?" She finally asked him, drying her eyes and gazing at him earnestly. "Did he speak of when they would return?"_

_"He did not mention." Marcellus replied softly._

_"They will return." Carolina nodded vehemently, her fierceness returning as she rose to her feet once more. "They will. __They must. And when they do, I will have built them an army, a strong city ready to protect us all. An empire."_

.

Katherine came across Elijah later in the evening, sitting in a particular chair in the study.

"Okay, what was all that about?" She asked him, leaning against the doorway and folding her arms.

"What do you mean?" He replied.

Katherine raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "I know you, Elijah. And much as I would love it if you just gave up on your brother like you should have centuries ago, I know you never have, and you never will. It's one of the things I both hate and admire about you – your sense of family." She smiled, but her brow puckered. "What are you planning?"

Elijah stood up and crossed the room to meet her, his fingers coming up to cup her cheeks with a feather light touch. "I must ask something of you, Katarina."

"Anything." She murmured, trying not to lean into his touch and failing.

"Help me reunite my family." Elijah said, revealing what had been on his mind from the moment he had lied to Caroline. "Starting with reconciling Caroline and Niklaus."

* * *

Hey guys!

Finally we're getting off the beaten path. Here, there be monsters. :P

And just in case I never mentioned it before, EVERYONE here has their own agenda. EVERYONE. Even Elijah, the noble brother! Which is why this is so much fun to write, and I hope its just as much fun to read.

Hayley will get her just deserts soon, don't fret. ;)

Next chapter update will be next weekend.

Thank you to the gorgeous readers, reviewers, favoriters and followers.

And also while I'm here, Happy New Year for Wednesday! :D 2014 is going to be a great year, I can feel it!

Read and review if you liked it or if you didn't!

xx


	8. Chapter 8

"Caroline!" Rebekah yelled as she stomped through the courtyard. Kol followed his sister with equal determination. "I hope you have a decent excuse as to why Elijah has disappeared _entirely_ from the face of the Earth."

Caroline appeared at the railing in a flash. "Do you mind? You're spoiling my morning."

"Where is Elijah?" Kol growled up at her.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" She quipped, just as Elijah joined her side.

The two Original siblings gaped. Rebekah was up the stairs in a blur, crashing into Elijah and enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Your safe!" She gasped, clutching him as if he might disappear again. Kol walked up the stairs behind his sister, grinning at Elijah, who smiled at him in response.

Rebekah drew back to scowl at him. "Where the bloody hell have you been?"

"And a hello to you too, Rebekah." Elijah replied, before explaining. "Caroline took the white oak dagger out last night. She has revealed a far more complex plan than we were expecting."

"Complex how?" Kol asked, and Katherine walked out to stand between Caroline and Elijah.

"Oh, you almost wouldn't believe it." Katherine smirked, and Rebekah scowled.

"Great. I thought we were finally rid of you." She grumbled.

"How sweet, Rebekah." Katherine pouted. "I've missed you too."

"Get to the point, Katherine." Caroline sighed.

"You've all been played." Katherine announced. "Klaus more than anyone. The witches have been conspiring against him from day one. And so was Hayley. She was in league with the witches to find the rest of her family, whatever the price. But they turned against her last night, and attempted to kill her. We killed their last witch elder Agnes instead."

"And now I know all about the little weregirl that Klaus was trying to hide." Caroline said with a razor edge to her voice.

Kol smirked. "Aw, jealous that you aren't the baby of the family anymore?"

Caroline opened her mouth to snarl back that Hayley wasn't even part of Klaus' bloodline, but she held back. No. Not even Rebekah and Kol could know about that part of Katherine's deceit.

"Klaus can do whatever the hell he wants." The blonde snapped instead. "So long as he does it far from New Orleans."

"Which is why we want to call him here." Elijah interjected. "Explain this whole situation to him, tell him of the witches and Hayley, and exchange the life of the last of his werewolf line for the promise that he will leave this city and Caroline in peace."

"He will never agree to that." Rebekah shook her head. "His greed for power will be the death of him."

"What would be nice is an army." Katherine suggested with the air of someone who had already mentioned the idea and had it rejected.

Elijah shook his head with a sigh. "I am confident that we can change his mind without brute force."

Caroline looked dubious. "We'll see."

.

Elijah took a moment in private with Rebekah and Kol while Caroline poured Katherine a drink in the other room. The brunette glanced through the doorway to where Elijah leaned over a desk in the next room discussing with his siblings. Her eyes flitted back to Caroline's calculatingly.

"Have you two ever…you know?" She asked with a meaningful look.

Caroline frowned, handing the Petrova girl a drink. "No, I don't."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You _know_." Caroline's eyes widened in understanding, and Katherine held back a laugh at the blonde's expression. "Have you?"

"Seriously?" Caroline scoffed. "He is like a brother to me!"

"Didn't stop you with Klaus." Katherine shrugged as the younger vampire glared at her. "I'm just saying."

"That was different." Caroline flustered slightly.

"Okay, how?" The doppelganger leaned against the wall, eyes locked on Caroline. "Explain."

Caroline fiddled with the glass tumbler in her hands, at a loss for anything else to do to make it appear that she didn't care. "He saved my life. N – Klaus – wasn't really ever like a brother growing up. He was almost like my best friend." Katherine chuckled darkly, and Caroline rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. We always had a different relationship than I those shared with the other Mikaelson siblings."

"And now?" Katherine prodded.

Caroline exhaled through her nose. "Now he's changed. And not for the better."

"I'm not so sure that there's a better – for anyone." The brunette clarified. "But if I was being honest, I'd say that there was a reason why he was never your brother, and it's the same reason as to why you're all chummy with every Original but him right now."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, and Katherine sighed.

"Don't make me say the actual romantic gooey 'L' word." She groaned.

Caroline waved her hands as if she could make Katherine and her ideas disappear. "I refuse to listen to this."

"Anyway, its your loss in regards to Elijah." Katherine grinned, continuing to torment the blonde. "He's great in bed."

Caroline put a hand to her temple while her eyes focused on something beyond the brunette's shoulder, and Katherine turned to find Elijah behind her, a quirk in his brow.

"Though this conversation is clearly riveting, we have other things to concern ourselves with."

.

Klaus knew something was wrong the moment he set foot in the house after spending the entire night out. Despite the late hour of the morning, there were no sounds of life coming from the dwelling – no creak of a floorboard or murmur of conversation, no world-weary sigh from Hayley or clack of Rebekah's ridiculous heels or Kol's inane chatter. He never thought that he would miss such an irritating sound, but he did.

Back in the day, he would have torn through the town to find them. Now, however, he merely pulled out his phone.

Rebekah picked up on the fourth ring. _"Ah, Nik. I was just about to call."_

"I doubt you were." He said pleasantly, though his insides itched. He knew something was going on, but he didn't know what it entailed, and the lack of knowledge burned him. "Would you also deign to tell me where you are?"

Rebekah glanced at Caroline, who nodded. "I'm in the French Quarter."

Klaus sighed. _"You're with Caroline, aren't you? How quickly you betray me."_

Rebekah scowled at his tone. "I've actually heard about a more interesting betrayal that you might want to know about." She handed the phone to Caroline.

"So, here's the deal, Klaus." She exhaled. "I have something important to you, and you're bothering me. I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

_"Depends on what you're offering." _He replied, his tone casual.

Caroline smiled. She could almost see his face now, held carefully in an expression of calm while his blood boiled.

"Oh, its nothing big. She is rather petite, after all. And so young." She tutted. "Didn't know you had decided to get a puppy."

Klaus was silent for a long moment before he replied in a growl. "Whatever you're plotting, sweetheart, you wont get to pull it off. I will tear apart the city before you can do so much as draw breath."

"Oh, I wasn't planning to breath in." Caroline retorted. "I was actually planning on seeing what made this little weregirl so important to you." Her voice became cold. "Come and meet me in the courtyard within the hour or your lovely little wolf will be skinned for a fur coat. Or a hat. I'm still deciding." She hung up and returned the phone to Rebekah's waiting palm, barely concealing her grin. "I'll put money down on him arriving in the next ten minutes. Anyone else have any bets?"

.

When Klaus arrived in the courtyard, Caroline was there waiting for him alone. She had convinced the rest of the Original family and Katherine to stay inside and not interfere. Despite the lengths that she would go to so as to win this war against Klaus, she did not want to induce his rage on his siblings, nor tell him that Katherine was even in New Orleans – let alone that she was behind this whole affair. And it was her battle. She couldn't forget that.

Klaus was barely contained, pacing like a wild animal while she remained poised in her Jimmy Choo's .

"Where is she?"

"The wolf girl?" Caroline fluttered her hand. "She's tucked safely away. For now."

"Bring her out, then." He challenged.

She sighed, but beckoned towards the shadowy doors into the house. A vampire led Hayley out into the square. She wasn't bound or gagged in anyway, but her eyes were wide with fright and caution. They flickered over to Klaus and a new wave of fear washed through her before she schooled her expression again as the vampire stood Hayley near Caroline before disappearing once more.

Klaus barely noticed, still enraged that Caroline had managed to take her without his knowledge.

"It is one thing to steal my siblings, but it is another to steal what is mine." Klaus growled.

"Who says I stole anything?" Caroline frowned. "This girl of yours, Hayley, right? She wandered into my hands of her own accord." Her eyes narrowed. "And weren't you about to do the same to me? Steal _my_ city?"

"I founded this place since it was little more than a washed up old town." He stated.

"And I have made it what it is today." She countered. "Let it go! It isn't yours. And neither am I."

He watched her carefully. "Fine. Then let Hayley go." Klaus said in a low, calm voice.

"What if I say no?" Caroline replied.

"Then all of you will burn for denying me." He said menacingly.

"All of that fuss just to get to a girl who carries your werewolf gene?" She taunted, covering the aching pain that stabbed through her heart at his words. He was ready to destroy the world just to get to this one girl, and yet he had done nothing for Caroline. "And yet I could easily ruin it all with a few words. Hayley isn't of your line. You have been fooled by the witches. She may have great ancestry, but it is not yours. And sadly that is going to be her only legacy to this Earth." Caroline's hand suddenly plunged into Hayley's chest, clasping her heart. The werewolf girl cried out in pain, gritting her teeth and sinking to her knees as dark blood pooled around Caroline's wrist.

"So, my dear sire," Caroline said with saccharine sarcasm. "Justice will be served with your words and my hand. What would you have me do?"

Klaus was still, calculating. Memories flickered across his eyes; the witches, the moments that Hayley had been inside the house. The idea clicked into place in his mind, and his eyes narrowed. He stalked over with purpose, his gaze burning. "She isn't a descendent of mine?"

Caroline shook her head.

"You worked with the witches to gain my protection?" Klaus now asked Hayley.

The girl gazed up at him with a dark expression. "I wanted to find my family."

"And so you stooped to the level of destroying mine." Klaus snarled, before placing a hand either side of her face. "I've killed others for far less." He murmured carefully. "You would certainly deserve death."

Caroline's hand tightened slightly around the wolf girls heart, before retracting her arm and leaving the organ in its cage of rib bones where it belonged. "Which is why I think it will be far more enjoyable to give you a head start." She smiled coldly at the brunette.

Klaus watched her, a faintly proud smile growing on his lips.

"I'm going to give you ten minutes to leave this building and head in any direction." Caroline instructed Hayley. "After that time, there is no guaranteeing what I will do when I catch you. Back in my day, they used to hang people who betrayed those that trusted them, before cutting them down while they were still barely alive, removing their entrails and only then would they be beheaded and die. Or maybe I'll get creative. I am a drama major after all." She smirked, before the expression faded off her face. "One, two – "

Hayley had staggered to her feet and was out the door before the blonde reached the count of five.

Klaus struggled to remain put out. "Might I point out that _I _was the one betrayed by her?"

"If you disagree with my punishment, go after her and find a better one." Caroline challenged.

He attempted a scowl, but it didn't last long. He had taught her, and she had bettered him. If he would admit to any emotion, he would say that he was impressed.

Caroline found herself drawn to him for a second, before she shook herself. "Besides, you betrayed me all those years ago, and I never found a befitting punishment."

"Having to stay away from you for all those years until I eliminated the threat I thought would kill you was adequate torture enough, sweetheart." Klaus admitted in a moment of honesty.

Caroline studied his face. The truth was, she wanted to believe him. And it hurt that she couldn't, because she knew that he was the cause for that lack of trust.

"Then I'm sure you will be capable of finding her to carry out the punishment." She reverted back to more pressing matters.

Klaus tilted his head, considering. "Oh, I say we let her run for a little longer, always looking over her shoulder, living in fear."

Caroline smirked. "Sounds perfect."

His casual use of the word _'we'_ echoed in her mind for a moment before she realized that they had been standing together for a moment too long. Caroline stepped back slightly, and gave him one quick nod before walking away.

Klaus exhaled slowly, before turning and walking in the opposite direction. He had just reached the archway that led out from the courtyard when her musical voice sounded, making him pause.

"Friends, then?" She called from the shadows.

Klaus halted, half glancing back over his shoulder. He turned to face her properly where she had stopped, bathed half in shadow, half in light. His eyes ran over the length of her body, taking it all into consideration. They had never been friends.

"I'll consider it a challenge." He replied.

Her laughter was the last thing he heard before leaving the house.

.

Katherine and Caroline lounged in the library an hour later, nursing glasses of bourbon.

"So you just let Hayley go." Katherine summarized in confusion.

"With a indefinite death sentence." Caroline interjected.

"You told Klaus that Hayley also wasn't part of his bloodline." Katherine continued.

Caroline took a large swallow of the burning liquor. "Yup."

"And you didn't even bother to fully strike up a deal with Klaus to get him to leave you alone?" Katherine finished.

Caroline placed her tumbler on the mantelpiece and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. "I know. Don't even bother repeating what you said before."

"Really? What was I going to say?" Katherine challenged.

Caroline sighed. "Something along the lines of 'you still love him'?"

Katherine shook her head. "Not at all."

"Then what would you have said?" Caroline frowned.

Katherine smirked over the rim of her glass. "Game on."

.

Elijah found Klaus in the study at the house on the plantation, meditating over a glass of bourbon. It was almost exactly the same position he had left Caroline in, and he would have laughed at the similarity if his task hadn't been so troublesome. Instead, he poured himself a glass and sat opposite his brother.

"Come to remind me of my lack of family?" Klaus sighed, sitting back in the leather armchair.

"If it would convince you to join us peacefully, then of course." Elijah replied.

Klaus chuckled. "Despite my lack of a werewolf to lead part of the uprising against Caroline, that wont stop my plans. I will reign this city again, Elijah."

"And you wouldn't be content to find other paths to gain what you seek?" Elijah asked.

Klaus tilted his head. "What do you suggest?"

Elijah shrugged. "Merely that I do not believe you have considered some other options."

"Such as joining Caroline's side?" Klaus laughed. "You clearly underestimate my sins, brother. I am too proud, too greedy, too envious to simply agree to follow anyone, even a woman as enigmatic as Caroline."

"And what of lust?" Elijah sipped his bourbon as if it were a question to muse upon rather than a wellplaced blow to Klaus' armor. "You cannot possibly think that you can continue to deny your feelings for the girl."

Klaus was silent for a moment, studying the way that the light fractured through the glass tumbler and the amber liquid inside. "Lust is a quenchable need. It does not concern the outcome of my plans."

Elijah exhaled through his nose, choosing another approach. "Regardless, you miscalculate your alternatives. There isn't a rule anywhere that says you would have to _follow_ Caroline to get what you want."

"Are you suggesting that we rule side by side?" Klaus chuckled, then settled into silence as he took the words into his mind and mulled over them.

"All I'm saying is that you have not considered every outcome from this impossible plan of yours." Elijah reminded his brother sagely, before downing his glass. "When you're ready, should you be so inclined, your family waits for you with Caroline in the French Quarter. You are welcome to join us there. It is, after all, our family home."

He stood, leaving Klaus to ponder alone. The Original hybrid wasn't without company for long before someone knocked on his door.

Klaus opened the door to find Marcel of all people standing on his doorstep with the late afternoon sun shining from behind his head like a halo.

"Klaus." Marcel nodded curtly.

The hybrid leaned against the doorframe. "I'd say it's a pleasant surprise – but that would be a lie."

Marcel was unmoved. "May I come in?"

Klaus didn't even bother considering the question. "No."

"It's concerning Katherine Pierce." Marcel continued, his words enough to falter Klaus as he attempted to close the door. "Figured since you two have a little history, you'd appreciate some information."

"Like what?" Klaus challenged, opening the door fully again.

Marcel merely grinned.

"Like what?" Klaus growled again, before stepping to the side. "Come inside."

.

Klaus stormed into the courtyard, prepared to tear everything apart. Katerina would continue to ruin his life until he ended hers, that much was clear.

Caroline stepped out of the shadows to meet her maker, a quirk in her brow. "Klaus," She greeted him politely.

Klaus turned to study her as she stood before him, black heeled boots and messes of golden curls, looking like a tyrant.

"You." He growled. "Where is Katherine?"

Caroline's eyes widened slightly, but she kept her charm. "Nice to see your manners haven't left you." She noted coolly.

"And nice to see that everything you have told me is a lie." He replied with venom, striding towards her. "That you weren't plotting against me, that you were loyal, that you were my _friend_." He stopped an inch away from her and laughed without humor. "We were never _friends_, sweetheart. We could never be _friends._" His eyes burned into hers, shattering every defense and boring right down to the soul of her. "You and I, we set the world alight with the flames of passion or hatred. There is never anything _friendly_ about it."

Caroline waited a moment before speaking, ensuring that her breathing was even. "What do you want? I'm sure you didn't come here to talk about our sordid past."

Klaus snarled in wordless frustration, towering over her as she took his rage calmly. "Katerina Petrova." He finally hissed. "You're hiding her. Where is she?"

"Here." Katherine called from the balcony above them.

Klaus looked up and growled. He made to move, but two figures appeared either side of him and clamped him by the shoulders, keeping him in place for the time being.

"You have devised my downfall." Klaus accused Katherine.

"No, brother." Elijah's voice came out of the dark with a sigh, before he stepped out to be by Katherine's side. "You have devised your downfall since the beginning."

"Elijah," Klaus murmured, before his anger overtook him again. "What is this?"

"This is the lengths I will go to, Niklaus." Elijah answered. "This is what I will do to ensure my family remains whole, to mend the ways of the past and to save you from your rotten self."

Klaus glanced around to see who held him, only to find Kol and Rebekah either side of him. He surprised them all by chuckling darkly. "Look at you all. Banding together to fight for the common cause. My family." He gritted his teeth, driving the guilty knife home. "How does it feel?"

"Great." Rebekah spat back at him, not willing to let him have the upper hand.

Caroline glared at Klaus, raising her fingers to her lips and giving a high pitched whistle. Two dozen vampires appeared out of the gloom around the courtyard. Kol and Rebekah stepped back till they were either side of Caroline, and Klaus strolled backwards as he glanced around to find himself surrounded. He grinned as if it was the most amusing thing he had ever experienced.

"So this is it?" He taunted. "The evil bastard Klaus has gone too far. Must be punished. And by his own family, none the less. How positively biblical." He grinned at Kol and Rebekah, who refused to waver, and raised his gaze to Elijah and Katherine on the balcony. "Betrayed for a woman, too. You will go to any lengths to protect your Petrova girl. I hope this gamble of family pays off, brother."

"It is not a gamble." Elijah corrected him. "It is family loyalty. It is a way to give you what you always wanted, even if the means are as drastic as they are."

Klaus chuckled, before turning his attention to his former protégée and lover. "And you, sweet Carolina? Is this your idea of a hit? I taught you better than this paltry excuse for a take down." He tsked, before throwing out his arms wide. "You think you can subdue _me?_ With _this_?"

Caroline let a smirk play across her red lips. "No. But I think I can with this." She gave another leisurely whistle, and the vampires suddenly doubled in number, standing on the edge of the courtyard, awaiting any command from Caroline.

Klaus' expression finally morphed from humor to apprehension, noticing his odds slipping. Clearly he had underestimated the number of vampires who were so loyal to Caroline that they would dare to risk their lives against a vampire who was a walking legend, a true horror story, the big bad wolf of nightmares. He examined the faces of those he was in opposition for, searching to see if any were wavering. None were.

He was about to change that.

"Lets end this charade, shall we?" Klaus smirked at Caroline, before turning to address the crowd. "Vampires of New Orleans. Do recall that I am an Original. A hybrid. I cannot be killed." He grinned proudly. "Eternity is an awfully long time. How long do you think Caroline will stay in power? What if one of you lot were to release me, knowing I would be eternally in your debt? I would pity those of you who dared to cross me." He paused, catching the eyes of Marcel and some of Caroline's inner circle in the crowd. "I can assure you, your ends would be _spectacular_." He crooned, before turning to face Caroline once more. "To borrow a trick from a _friend_," Klaus smirked, pulling a coin from his pocket to show the crowd. "Whoever picks up this coin gets to live." He tossed it down to the stone floor with a clang, surveying the crowd with confidence. "Now, which of you magnificent bastards wants join me?"

Caroline barely moved a muscle, maintaining her control. "Anyone wants that coin, pledge allegiance to Klaus, take it now." She said coolly, not taking her eyes off her opponent to check the sea of vampires. "Go ahead. The choice is yours."

The courtyard was silent. Not one vampire moved forward.

Klaus' grin slipped a few teeth.

"Take him." Caroline said almost carelessly.

Three vampires lunged forwards, eager to bring the hybrid down. Klaus snapped a neck with one hand while tearing a heart out with the other. He flung the last one against a wall, before turning back to face Caroline with a smug grin, raising his hands to challenge her.

Caroline tilted her head in consideration, nodding her head towards the vampires behind her opponent. Chains were flung, catching on Klaus' raised arms. It distracted him for a moment, which was all the advantage they needed. The vampires surged on the Original hybrid, unleashing pent up rage and spite while he was dragged backwards and strung up by the chains around his wrists like a marionette. His head sagged down towards the floor as if he had lost the strength to hold himself upright.

Despite everything, Caroline's heart clenched painfully with every blow that landed on him. She had thought that she would feel a sense of relief and liberation. Instead, all she felt was guilt like a lead ball in her stomach, dragging her down to Hell to pay for her crimes.

On her right side, Kol stiffened. "No." He muttered.

"What is it?" Rebekah murmured.

"Look at him." Kol kept his eyes fixed on their brother in his incarcerated state. "He isn't fighting."

"Nik always fights." Rebekah frowned. "He will fight Death himself just to prove a point."

Kol nodded. "Which means..."

Caroline gasped. "No! - "

But it was too late. Klaus raised his head, his eyes gleaming golden and amber. He snarled, yanking back on the chains so that they became weapons in his grasp, lashing against the vampires that still sought to fight him. He sank his teeth into his foes, flinging their bodies back against the walls as if they were no more than rag dolls. He was a force to be reckoned with, and for the first time, Caroline had underestimated him.

"Caroline!" Klaus roared, eyes still flashing golden. "Come and finish this."

Caroline set her jaw and began to walk towards him, but Katherine was suddenly beside her, catching her by her arm.

"No!" She said fiercely. "Take the coin."

Caroline took in her wide, panicked eyes. "What?"

"I know Klaus." Katherine rushed out. "He wont stop until everyone is dead and he will kill you too. And while I can't believe I'm saying this after centuries of sacrificing others for my own skin, I don't want to lose the one girl who stood by me even after knowing every dirty secret from my past."

"But he'll kill you." Caroline objected.

Katherine shook her head, her dark curls bobbing. "Not if I get a head start. End this. Pick up the coin."

Caroline turned back just in time to see Klaus rip out the heart of another one of her vampires. It felt as if he was doing the same to her. Her people were dying, and all because she had wanted to prove a point to the man she had once loved.

"Fine. But get out of here." She hissed at Katherine. "Get them _all_ out of here." She emphasized, glancing towards all the Original siblings. "Run."

Katherine's hand tightened fleetingly around Caroline's before she was gone, the Mikaelson's disappearing with her.

Caroline turned back to face the mayhem that her revenge had bought her.

"Enough!" She shouted. She waited until Klaus took a step back from the rest of the vampires who had paused in their fight, his hands dripping blood, before she knelt to pick up his coin. It felt cold between her fingers, but not as cold as the look that some of her followers were giving her right now. Marcel's face stood out from the crowd as he watched her in disbelief. She could only hope that they would understand she was trying to protect them to her last breath.

"Well ,well, well." Klaus walked over to stand above her as she remained on the ground. "The Great Caroline, self proclaimed King of New Orleans, bowing before me." His smirk shone with blood. It sickened her. They had both sunk so low.

"There." Caroline spat, tossing the coin at his feet. "I hereby pledge my allegiance to you. You have the keys to my kingdom." She held his gaze, keeping every shred of dignity and power she could as she battled against his now blue eyes. "Its yours."

Klaus' smug grin merely widened. "It always has been."

"In exchange, I demand that you spare everyone's life here." Caroline continued bravely. "I will happily trade my own life for their safety."

"How noble of you." He remarked dryly. "But you need not worry for their lives. After all, what is a kingdom without its loyal subjects?" Klaus frowned as his eyes scanned the courtyard. "However, my own family seems to have abandoned you as well."

"Wouldn't be the first time." She snarled at him.

His eyes narrowed. "I will be generous. You have thirty minutes to dispose of your dead and for your ruler to leave her post." He announced to the vampires around them. "Make the most of your time."

.

Caroline helped out as best as she could before she couldn't handle it anymore. She vanished up onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, watching Marcel, Diego and the others step between the bodies they had laid out like fallen soldiers after a battle, covered respectfully in white sheets. She didn't want them to see her shed tears. That would be another sign of weakness, and she had shown enough already.

She only hoped it was a head start enough for Katherine and the Originals to get away.

Caroline remembered the feeling that had bubbled up inside her when Katherine came to her, saying that one of the witches had told Klaus and it was only a matter of time before he hunted her down. Elijah had agreed that an army was the only way to face Klaus once and for all. All Caroline could concentrate on was the idea that her sire would finally accept that she was the rightful King of New Orleans.

And now? Was all this worth it? Was her revenge sated? Not in the slightest.

What of her desire? Was that sorted? Not at all. She should hate him after seeing him at his worst again. She should feel nothing but hate.

And yet.

And yet just the very thought of him managed to stir such a mixture of emotions in her, desire, and lust, and the slightest edge of fear, and the largest portion of longing, and the fiercest urge of absolute blinding hatred and anger, all of them twisted together in a dark lace tapestry of her life. He was her curse, and she would never be rid of him. He had been the death of so many, and he would be the death of her too.

As if he had heard what she had mused of, Klaus appeared by her side.

"Looking at what you've wrought?" He remarked wryly.

Caroline glared at him. He truly would be the death of her. "Look, if you're going to kill me, lets get this over with."

"Do you really think that low of me?" Klaus asked, his face dropping into an honest expression that left her unawares.

"Yes." She replied steadily, keeping her eyes on his until he looked away, unable to face her in that regard.

"Why would I kill you?" He asked as if it were simple. Her heart rose despite everything, yearning, hopeful.

"You picked up the coin." Klaus continued, and Caroline's heart crashed down into the darkness. "There are rules of engagement in battle, Caroline. Without them, you'd have anarchy." He gathered his mask together again, and turned back to face her with a smirk. "I would, however, like to talk about accommodations. Your living quarters, for example. I believe they used to be mine."

He couldn't be serious. Caroline studied him incredulously. "They were _ours_. As everything in this town used to be. _Ours. Equally_." She watched him, but he showed no sign of remorse. "You want all this? Fine. Its yours. You can toss me back on the street for all I care, but lets make one thing clear." She stepped closer, staring him down. "You will _never_ have this. Loyalty. Love and loyalty. You can't buy it, you cant force it, you cant own it. It comes only out of love and respect for the people who believe in you." She shook her head slowly. "You taught me many things, Niklaus Mikaelson, but this is something I learnt myself. And it is something that you will never know." Caroline was so close to him now, in his space, looking up at him. But she may as well have been looking down on him, for all that mattered. Despite his take over, she was still more powerful than he was, because she had learnt from his mistakes. Where he had fear, she had loyalty and trust. Where he had paranoia, she had a sense of self assuredness that can only come from those who are secure in their position. Where he had hatred, she had an endless capacity to love and earn love.

And Klaus had once received that love. But those days were over. Though she was so close, her eyes were so far away. He may have once had her love, but while he could take back his town and take back his home from her, he could never take back her love.

Caroline smiled a small, cold smile as she raised up on her toes to place her mouth next to his ear. "Enjoy your kingdom." She murmured cruelly, letting her cheek graze past his stubbled jaw as she leaned back and walked away.

He had walked away once from her, but she would always be the first to leave now.

* * *

Hey!

Here is half number one. Half number two will be up tomorrow, and after that this, like the show, will take a little break (half of the reason is that its come to a place I can leave it to stew for a little while, but the other half is because I'll be taking a trip to New York!).

Thank you to the beautiful readers, reviewers, followers and favoriters. Leave a note if you like it!

xx


	9. Chapter 9

_It hadn't been the easiest transition._

_That was all the Original family could summarize it as whenever the question of Niklaus and Carolina's relationship came around. It hadn't been the easiest transition, because neither of the participants had wanted to give in to their feelings. There was always an issue, always something to hold them back. It was only after a number of years that they realized that the only thing holding them back was their pride. _

_The transition had begun, however, with dreams._

_Klaus was used to not sleeping, or barely, when the situation called for it. He would roam the house like a ghost while the rest of its occupants slept peacefully. That is, until one night when Carolina found him. _

_He was reading in the study when she appeared at the doorway, looking like an angel with her blonde tresses tumbling down her back and her white nightgown brushing the tips of her toes. _

_"Do you know what time it is, sweetheart?" Klaus asked in the soft tone his voice always took whenever he spoke to her, glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece._

_"Do you?" Carolina retorted, regarding him with confusion. "It's four in the morning, Nik. Why aren't you asleep?"_

_"Why aren't you?" He shot back, and she scowled at him. In his opinion, it was still a becoming expression. Everything was a becoming expression on her face._

_"I woke up and needed a drink of water." She said, finally giving a proper answer. "I saw a light on where I didn't think a light would be, and I went to investigate. Now, why are you up?"_

_Klaus exhaled. "I don't sleep." _

_Carolina tilted her head, puzzled. "At all?"_

_"No." He glanced back to his book and then back at her before he placed it on the table next to him. "Barely."_

_"How do you continue to live?" She asked, before biting her lip at the absurdity of her question. He was one of the oldest vampires alive, of course he continued to live in the paradoxical way being that he also continued to _not_ live._

_"My body doesn't run on the needs of most." He answered the question he knew she had intended. "It runs on the energy of battles, the lust of blood, and others fear."_

_"And others love too." Carolina interjected, stepping into the room properly. "The love of your family." She added, fighting against the way her stomach jolted with the electricity from his dark gaze._

_"That may be, but it still doesn't let me need sleep." He said._

_Carolina pursed her lips, deep in plotting thought. "What if I told you that it wasn't just a glass of water that woke me up?"_

_Klaus frowned. "Then what did?"_

_"My nightmare." She replied softly, thinking back to the nightmares from her childhood, and how he had always been there to soothe her, her knight in shining armor. "It hasn't haunted me for decades now, but it visited me again tonight." She let her eyes rise to meet his. "I cannot stand to admit this, but I am afraid to fall back asleep."_

_Klaus froze for a moment before gesturing to the space of couch next to him. _

_"Understandable it may be, but you need your sleep, Carolina. How about I read to you, calm your nerves?"_

_She smiled and bobbed a quick curtsey before curling up on the couch, and tucking her toes underneath herself._

_"What were you reading?" She asked softly._

_"A collection of poems from Robert Browning." He replied in equally quiet tones._

_Carolina smiled, laying her cheek against her shoulder in preparation for the poem._

_"Where the quiet-coloured end of evening smiles, Miles and miles  
On the solitary pastures where our sheep, Half-asleep  
Tinkle homeward thro' the twilight, stray or stop, As they crop—  
Was the site once of a city great and gay, (So they say)  
Of our country's very capital, its prince, Ages since  
Held his court in, gathered councils, wielding far, Peace or war._

_Now the country does not even boast a tree, As you see,  
To distinguish slopes of verdure, certain rills, From the hills  
Intersect and give a name to, (else they run, Into one)  
Where the domed and daring palace shot its spires, Up like fires  
O'er the hundred-gated circuit of a wall, Bounding all  
Made of marble, men might march on nor be prest, Twelve abreast._

_And such plenty and perfection, see, of grass, Never was!  
Such a carpet as, this summer-time, o'er-spreads, And embeds  
Every vestige of the city, guessed alone, Stock or stone—  
Where a multitude of men breathed joy and woe, Long ago;  
Lust of glory pricked their hearts up, dread of shame, Struck them tame;  
And that glory and that shame alike, the gold, Bought and sold. _

_Now—the single little turret that remains, On the plains,  
By the caper overrooted, by the gourd, Overscored,  
While the patching houseleek's head of blossom winks, Through the chinks—  
Marks the basement whence a tower in ancient time, Sprang sublime,  
And a burning ring, all round, the chariots traced, As they raced,  
And the monarch and his minions and his dames, Viewed the games._

_And I know, while thus the quiet-coloured eve, Smiles to leave  
To their folding, all our many-tinkling fleece, In such peace,  
And the slopes and rills in undistinguished grey, Melt away—  
That a girl with eager eyes and yellow hair, Waits me there  
In the turret whence the charioteers caught soul, For the goal,  
When the king looked, where she looks now, breathless, dumb, Till I come. *_

_But he looked upon the city, every side, Far and wide,  
All the mountains topped with temples, all the glades', Colonnades,  
All the causeys, bridges, aqueducts,—and then, All the men!  
When I do come, she will speak not, she will stand, Either hand  
On my shoulder, give her eyes the first embrace, Of my face,  
Ere we rush, ere we extinguish sight and speech, Each on each._

_In one year they sent a million fighters forth, South and North,  
And they built their gods a brazen pillar high, As the sky  
Yet reserved a thousand chariots in full force— Gold, of course.  
O heart! oh blood that freezes, blood that burns! Earth's returns  
For whole centuries of folly, noise and sin! Shut them in,  
With their triumphs and their glories and the rest! Love is best." **_

_Klaus set down the book and glanced slyly over to where Carolina was now sound asleep._

_She blinked awake just as she was set upon a soft bed that was not her own, and caught the collar of Klaus' shirt as he moved away._

_"Stay," She murmured. "Please."_

_He stayed._

_The Original family became accustomed to the new sleeping arrangement under the guise that it was beneficial for both Niklaus and Carolina's sleeping patterns._

_._

Klaus walked around the mansion, reacquainting himself with the walls he had built centuries ago. Caroline had barely changed, merely improving aspects of the house as the years had past. He found that he liked the small changes. If he had been entirely honest, he would have done precisely the same.

She knew him too well.

It only made the idea that she had been doing all of this to prepare for his return all the more plausible.

And he had lost her.

Almost as if the ghost of his conscience had snuck up on him, Klaus turned to find Elijah in the doorway to the library. Rather than rage at his brother, Klaus merely sighed.

"Have you got more to throw at me, Elijah?" He challenged. "Because my reign has only just begun. I could use some more battles."

"No, Niklaus." Elijah replied somberly.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Right. You haven't had your fill of telling me all the ways I've disappointed you."

"Not at all." Elijah replied. "Just to check that everything has gone as planned."

"Ah, Elijah." Klaus chuckled. "You did perfectly."

Elijah smiled. "I did tell you there were other ways of obtaining the throne you longed for. You just had to trust that I would play the part."

"Well you did that well." Klaus noted. "Caroline trusted you so easily. You salvaged the entire situation considerably well despite the setbacks from the witches and that little pesky wolf."

"You will remember our agreement?" Elijah reminded him.

Klaus nodded despite his frown. "Our family will be reunited under this roof. Yet I still cannot understand why you insist on protecting that doppelganger after all these years. But yes, Katherine is under your protection, and now mine as well."

"Oh, I'm sure you can understand, brother." Elijah tiled his head. "Just think on Caroline, and you will understand years of thinking about the one woman."

Klaus' scowl deepened. "Perhaps. You managed to protect her well too, with the coin."

"That was all you, Niklaus." Elijah said, barely hiding his small smile. "Not me."

.

_Earlier in the day_

Elijah watched Marcel walk across the courtyard.

"Are you certain?" He asked the woman who stood by his side.

"I've been running from Klaus for centuries." Katherine replied calmly. "I know how he works. Trust me."

"You will be putting your own existence in jeopardy." Elijah countered, a hand coming up to cup her neck gently.

Katherine met his gaze, allowing her carefully crafted mask to slip and warmth to grace her features. "And it will all be for you. I know how to get your family back together, Elijah. I've needed your trust and your love, and if this works, then I'll consider it one step towards winning that and proving myself to you."

Elijah exhaled and pressed his forehead to hers softly, before stepping away from her and zooming down the steps to intercept Marcel. Before the other vampire could do more than start backwards in surprise, Elijah had grasped him by both shoulders and locked eyes with him.

_"There's some information you need to pass on to Klaus."_

.

_Present time_

"Now what?" Rebekah asked the room as Katherine and Kol paced in mirror opposites of each other back at the plantation that Klaus had vacated.

"We do exactly what we said the last time you asked that stupid question." Katherine growled.

"We wait." Kol finished.

Rebekah sat up at the sound of the front door closing. "We wont be waiting long."

Elijah walked into the room, a frown heavy upon his brow.

"He accepted the agreement?" Kol asked.

Elijah nodded. "We may return to the house in the French Quarter." He caught Katherines eye. "All of us."

She smiled, but started towards him. She could tell when he was uneasy. "You don't think the plan is going to work."

He dropped his gaze almost guiltily. "No. I don't believe it will."

"Look, Katherine might not be right most of the time." Rebekah shrugged in response to the glare the doppelganger sent her way. "But if there is one thing she is, she is the embodiment of female deviousness."

"She evaded our brother for this long, so she knows what we are up against." Kol added.

"But I still don't feel at ease." Elijah frowned. "We have thrown Caroline to the wolves, so to speak."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll talk to her." Rebekah offered. "I'll ensure that she makes good with Klaus, if only for her protection."

"But shouldn't we intervene in some way?" Elijah suggested.

"No." Katherine mused. "No, everything will play out perfectly from here. I know of a witch who's pretty pissed off with what happened to Agnes, and I'll bet that the humans wont like the new King either. He'll keep Caroline around, that's for sure. And eventually, he'll protect her. It'll only be a matter of time."

.

Caroline tossed her clothes into a trunk, not caring about how they fell and wrinkled. It didn't matter anymore. Klaus had won. How could she have ever thought that she could triumph?

A noise at the door made her inhale sharply, but she exhaled the same breath slowly once she picked up the familiar jasmine perfume.

"Come to help me pack? Or to gloat at how gullible I am?" Caroline turned to face Rebekah.

"We never meant for you to be hurt by Nik – "

"Spare me the sob story, Bekah." Caroline brushed past her to gather more clothes from the wardrobe. "I get it. You'll do anything to ensure your brothers happiness. I don't blame you. I used to make the same sacrifices for my family."

Rebekah winced. She knew it would be difficult coming to see the girl she considered a sister even after all these years, but no one told her how much her words would burn painfully into her conscience.

"You are part of his happiness, Caroline. Part of _our_ happiness. Don't think that any of us have forgotten that."

"Oh, I don't know." Caroline mused, plucking up trinkets from the dresser. "Its been a century or so. People forget."

"We haven't." Rebekah assured her. "And that's why I'm here. To tell you that you need to reconcile with Nik."

Caroline shot her a confused look. "You must be dreaming."

"You can't afford your wounded pride. With Nik in control of your empire, you need to give him what he craves most: loyalty. Or at least, the illusion of it."

Caroline placed her hands on her hips. "And why do I need to do that?"

"Because if you don't, its just going to make it more painful for those that trusted you." Rebekah said brutally. "Those vampires that you hold so dear, that community that you've created. Nik wont hesitate to burn them all, unless you find a way to protect them."

Caroline dropped Rebekahs unblinking gaze for a moment to compose herself while she sorted through the books that she wanted to take. The Original blonde had a point, but it hurt. Her mind worked overtime, evaluating the situation and the suggestion Rebekah made. She had to protect those that she cared about. Davina. Thierry. Marcel. "Klaus wont trust me." She muttered the only flaw she could find while she plotted how to protect them.

"He was starting to before." Rebekah said gently. "He will trust you now, because he wants your allegiance. He knows that he needs the power that you bring." She drew closer to Caroline, placing a comforting hand on the girls shoulder. After all this time, Caroline would still be the young girl that the Original family had to protect. Not because she wasn't strong enough, but because they cared for her so much. "Make me a promise, Caroline. You will do whatever it takes to stay alive."

Caroline looked up at her, an argument already on her lips, but Rebekahs expression made her falter. She had to trust the Original. She had to. Caroline nodded her acceptance, and Rebekah smiled faintly.

"Trust me, Caroline. Everything will work out."

.

_He was sleeping, for the first time that she had ever seen._

_Carolina and Klaus had retired to the bed they now shared – shared but never truly shared. They both slept in its soft sheets, and upon occasion, Carolina would wake in the morning to find herself tucked in Klaus' arms. _

_Yet she had terrible dreams. Dreams where she would partake in acts that she never thought possible, where she would turn and capture his lips, and his hands would caress over her skin – _

_And then she would wake and find that they were sleeping chastely side by side, and she would bite back dry sobs, but she knew that she would rather waste away by his side than not get a chance to see him at his best and worst._

_And now she studied his face as he slept soundly, the early morning light casting an odd glow to his features. Seeing him sleeping, vulnerable and unguarded, made her feel oddly proud. He trusted her to see him like this._

_But something had changed between them. Her body felt primed to ignite whenever he walked into a room. Every time he looked at her, a hot swirl of longing curled in her chest. Every time he touched her, she felt as if he knew. He must know. Surely, he must know that everything she did was for him. _

_She wondered what would happen if she did as she desired, leaned over, brushed a kiss across his lips. Surely just one wouldn't hurt. He might not even wake._

_Without further careful consideration, Carolina found herself moving over to him, brushing the lightest kiss across his lips._

_._

Caroline rushed into Davina's attic in a blur, gathering things for the girl.

Davina started up from the window seat with a start. "Whats going on?"

"I'm so sorry, little dove." Caroline stumbled through her words. "I should have kept in touch."

"I haven't heard from you for a bit." Davina frowned. "You worried me."

"We have bigger worries now." Caroline said, stuffing shirts into a bag.

"The witches?" Davina asked.

Caroline shook her head. "Agnes is dead, honey. That's the last powerful link the witches had."

Davina exhaled in a whoosh. "I'm free?"

Caroline bit her lip. "Not exactly."

"I don't understand." Davina said slowly.

"Klaus reigns New Orleans now." Caroline managed to spit out, shoving the bag into Davina's hands. "I'm so sorry, little dove. I did it to save all your lives, and now I've probably managed to kill you all anyway."

"We can get it back." Davina nodded firmly. "Just wait, we'll go back to the Quarter, and – "

"There's no point." Caroline shook her head, curls bouncing. "I'll stay around to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone, but I can't risk you." She blinked, her mind whirring back to when Klaus had left her a century ago, all for her own safety. She knew exactly what Davina would be thinking.

"No chance!" The witch protested strongly, but Caroline picked up the art supplies she had stacked, and tugged Davina towards the door.

"No choice." She countered. "I'd rather that you were safe and far away from Klaus so he can't use you."

"Where will I go, though?" Davina objected.

"It's already settled. That boy out in the suburbs." Caroline said, letting a faint smile grace her face at Davina's shocked expression. "You didn't really think you could keep Tim a secret from me, did you?"

"But Klaus…"

"Won't know about him." Caroline said firmly as they walked out to the waiting car. "Especially if I stay and keep him occupied." She pulled the girl into a tight hug and was almost surprised to find tears welling in her eyes. Caroline had really become attached to the girl.

"Caroline – " Davina sniffed.

The blonde shook her head. "None of that. I'll see you again." She pulled back slightly and brushed tears from the young girl's cheeks. "Stay safe."

.

Thierry's eyelashes fluttered as he felt warm skin brushing against his cold lips. His nostrils flared, and he picked up the scent of blood, and he was lost to his other side as his fangs extended and he tore into the wrist that was offered to him. After a few heavenly mouthfuls, he started to feel his body awaken again, and the dull pain in his abdomen turned into a pulsing point of agony.

"Hold up, I've got it." A light, female voice flitted through his ears, and the metal pike was pulled out of him in one quick movement. Thierry felt his shoulder being pushed back, and he retracted his fangs and let the wrist drop from his grasp, raising his eyes to meet ones of troubled blue.

"Caroline?" He breathed.

"Yes, its me." She smiled, but the expression didn't reach her eyes.

"Come to punish me again?" Thierry groaned.

Caroline sighed, rolling her sleeve back down to cover her wrist. "No. I was wrong. I'm sorry. I trusted you, and I should have continued to trust you, but instead I thought that Katie…"

"We all got played by love, I think." He noted, a bitter tinge to his voice, but he straightened himself and tried to gain his senses again. "But what happened?"

"Klaus took back the city." She muttered darkly.

"I warned you about him." He said before he could watch his tongue.

"Yeah, well, I should have listened." Caroline sighed again. "Anyway, its only a matter of time before he starts cleaning up everything, so I'm doing things my way before he can." She grasped him by the shoulders. "Get out of here, Thierry, and don't look back."

"You're kidding, right?" Thierry shook his head. "No. You're going to get this city back, and I'm going to help you do whatever it takes."

"I'm not about to endanger your life – "

"I don't care – "

"You didn't see him, he just tore everyone apart – "

"As I am known to do." Klaus' voice sounded from the dark, and Caroline's insides jolted. She turned slowly to face the voice, her chin up defiantly.

Klaus walked towards them leisurely through patches of shadow. "While I ought to feel angered that you are attempting to free a man locked away down here, I can't help but admire the fact that you are at least trying to right more wrongs tonight." His gaze flickered to Thierry. "Especially by freeing the most loyal vampire in your ranks. Thierry, isn't it?"

Thierry bristled beside Caroline, but she shook her head once, _no._

"Now, if I was mistrustful, I would suspect that you were already trying to win back my kingdom." Klaus raised his eyebrows at Caroline. "But I know better. And so I'm going to ask you for the one thing you swore to me – loyalty."

"And Thierry gets to leave New Orleans." She added boldly.

"Caroline – " Thierry objected, but Klaus cut across his words.

"Thierry may do as he pleases, but it would be in vain if it went against what I wanted."

"And what do you want?" Caroline asked.

Klaus let a smirk play across his lips. "What do I want?" He repeated. "For the time being, I would settle for the allegiance of both you and the community of vampires you have founded. _All_ vampires." He nodded towards Thierry, whose jaw tightened.

"And with that allegiance comes protection, right?" Caroline said slowly. "Meaning that no one gets hurt, not even in one of your rages. Because they are loyal to you, Klaus."

"Buying off protection from promises of loyalty." He scoffed, but exhaled. "Yes, they would be protected."

Caroline clenched her fists, but smiled winningly. "Then of course, you have my loyalty."

.

_Without further careful consideration, Carolina found herself moving over to him, brushing the lightest kiss across his lips._

_His lips parted under hers, catching across the sensitive skin and pulling her in. She almost started back in unexpected fright, but a calloused hand wound through the curls at the nape of her neck, keeping her in place. She realized what was happening, and gave into the sensation._

_She had only ever been kissed by one other boy. He had been young, and sweet, and had played with her in the mud. He had pressed his mouth to hers, and she had screwed up her eyes and tried to enjoy it, before she had run back home to the Mikaelsons, cutting her leg in the process. Klaus had patched her up, and hadn't questioned why she had more tears than ought to be shed over a wounded leg. She had flirted with countless boys over the years since, but had shied away, always sensing that there was something more out there for her, something far better than her first kiss._

_This kiss was the one she had been waiting for. This kiss spoke of lust and longing and every blissful fulfilled wish. This kiss tasted of desire and anticipation and something so uniquely Klaus that she would have known it even if blind. This kiss was for her. Forever._

.

The sun rose on a new day, and a new reign.

Klaus was awoken by a call from Caroline.

_"The humans I used to bargain with have called a meeting. They're not exactly thrilled with the new status quo."_

"How unfortunate for them." He groaned, rubbing at his neck. "You do realize what time it is?"

_"No rest for the wicked."_ She reminded him, her tone taking on a snappy edge. _"And you want to know how this town is still running so smoothly with all of these supernatural creatures running around? Politics. A little diplomacy goes a long way, especially with the human faction."_

"I knew there was a reason why you were crowned Miss New Orleans." He smirked at her shocked silence. "Even if you were a little overconfident."

_"Really?" _She challenged, and his grin grew wider.

"I believe it was somewhere along the lines of 'when I am chosen, I intend to redefine excellence'. I enjoyed your use of 'when', it was quite confident, if a little overbearing."

_"Hilarious."_ Caroline retorted. _"How did you even know – "_

"I know." He replied simply, and she sighed before letting it all slide.

_"Regardless, the meeting is in an hour. Be presentable." _She added with cheek before hanging up.

.

Caroline was waiting out the front of the church when Klaus walked up.

"Clearly I need to remind you how much time an hour is." She snapped.

"And clearly I need to remind you who rules the city now." He retorted, enjoying the way her jaw clamped shut in rage and fear – not for her own safety, but for those that she had gathered together to form a community. Klaus walked into the church and Caroline followed a step behind, playing her part perfectly.

Father Kieran nodded to them as they walked between the pews. Caroline bit her lip and tried not to think about the fact that she and Klaus were walking together down the aisle towards a member of the church. She had certainly never pictured it happening this way.

"Klaus, Caroline, thank you for coming." He said with a slight frown. "We are aware of the change in the leadership in your community, and we thought it was time to make the appropriate introductions." He gestured towards the six other members of the faction who were seated in the pews, and the Mayor and the Sheriff rose to speak to them.

"We want to be sure you understand how things have worked up till this point." The Mayor started out calmly.

"We want some insurance that this new development isn't going to endanger our city or its inhabitants." Father Kieran interjected. He of all people knew what happened when the humans got caught up in the supernatural war that brewed under the surface of New Orleans.

"You freaks do your thing and we'll look the other way." The Sheriff spat out. "As long as our pockets stay full, we wont have a problem."

Klaus felt Caroline bristle next to him, and almost raised a hand to calm her before he stopped himself. A gesture of that nature would be far too caring.

"More importantly, there are rules." Father Kieran reiterated. "No feeding on the locals, don't bring any unwanted attention to the city. History has proven that we can co-exist peacefully. However, if you cross the line – "

"You answer to us." The Sheriff finished with a proud puff of his chest.

Klaus laughed humorlessly. "Let me get this straight: I'm going to play supplicant to you pompous asses and ridiculous petty thieves? No. Here are my terms: You will take whatever scraps I see fit to leave you, and you will be grateful."

"We don't have to listen to – " The Sheriff started, but Klaus cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Don't have to listen to me? Just because you like the look of the former ruler of the Quarter? She may be a pretty blonde thing, but she is just as ruthless as I. I'm surprised she even let you lot exist for this long. But if my arrangement doesn't suit you, I may decide that you've outlived your usefulness." He turned and stormed back down the aisle, and Caroline fell in step beside him.

"I should have warned you; they're jerks." She mentioned when they were outside.

"Noted." He growled.

"But even if they're jerks, you still have to make amends." Caroline continued, and he scoffed.

"I don't have to do anything."

"You don't understand." She frowned. "They have the ability to make our lives miserable."

"And I have the ability to end their lives." Klaus retorted, turning to face her sharply. "There is no argument. I am the predator, they are my prey. If I think they are a threat, if they are a danger or a nuisance, I kill them." He glanced down, distracted by her parted rosebud lips for a moment before remembering himself. "There is no _our_ about it. No you and me."

.

Sophie stood from her position at the back of the church. Despite Klaus and Caroline's impeccable eyesight, she had been skimmed over. And why wouldn't she be? When Klaus thought he was so untouchable, who would ever think to count the extra body in the meeting that brought the tally up to eight rather than seven?

Father Kieran came over to join her.

"I told you." She said. "He is impossible."

"And unstoppable." He added, but she shook her head with a smile.

"Not when you have the power of the witches on your side."

"Agnes was killed." Father Kieran frowned. "You told me that yourself. She was your last link."

Sophie gritted her teeth, willing the tears away from her eyes as she remembered their latest fallen witch. "She was our last link to ancestral magic, but that doesn't mean we cant use other forms like expression, or even the usual methods of hunting vampires. And we're willing to do whatever it takes. Klaus and Caroline have crossed the witches too many times between the pair of them." She smiled grimly. "Besides, what was it Shakespeeare said? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Well, the witches are furious now." She looked up at Father Kieran's face, lined with concern. "Just tell us what you want us to do."

.

_This kiss was the one she had been waiting for. This kiss spoke of lust and longing and every blissful fulfilled wish. This kiss tasted of desire and anticipation and something so uniquely Klaus that she would have known it even if blind. This kiss was for her. Forever._

_And then he drew away, uncoiling his fingers from her curls and leaving her cold. She sank back down to the pillows, catching the breath she no longer needed as a vampire, and watching him with a mixture of confusion and betrayal. _

_His eyes glimmered as he watched her in return._

_"No."_

_"No?" Carolina questioned, her voice small, feeling every inch of space between them like a punch._

_"No, love. You are my protégée. There are far more important things in the world."_

_"There are not." She insisted. "The most important thing in the world is you and me."_

_"There is no you and me."_

_._

Caroline watched the night walker vampires feeding in the bar with a moody expression. She had very little patience for anything right now. Klaus rejoined her with two glasses, pouring a generous helping of golden liquid into each.

"I think I was far more gracious than they deserved." He said conversationally, glancing up at her stoic expression.

"You're disappointed by my lack of diplomacy." Klaus guessed. "You above all people should need no reminder of the capacity for human cruelty."

Caroline remained impassive, though her eyes let the full force of her anger show in an almighty glare. It was not just human cruelty she had endured. It was his as well.

Before she could do more than wish that his face melted with the heat of her rage pouring from her eyes, his phone rang.

"Hello." He answered, never one for questions.

_"Mr Mikaelson."_ The tinny voice was grave. Caroline frowned, honing in her hearing to the receiver of the phone. _"Just wanted to let you know that the faction has considered your terms. We've reached a decision."_

Klaus was cocky. Too cocky. "Have you?"

An explosion drowned out any response that the mysterious caller could have given. Caroline ducked instinctively as the windows of the bar shattered, sunlight streaming in and making rainbows out of the broken glass. But all was not beautiful. The night walkers who happened to be nearest to the windows burst into flames, the fire viciously engulfing their bodies.

Caroline rushed to those closest to her, dragging them back into the safety of the shadows. She glanced up to see if Klaus was doing the same, and stepped towards him, placing herself directly in front of a window.

It proved to be a big mistake.

Gun shots rang out through the air, and she felt the wooden bullets penetrate her chest. She gasped out in pain, and Klaus reached towards her as her world went black.

_"Caroline!"_

.

_"There are not." She insisted. "The most important thing in the world is you and me."_

_"There is no you and me."_

_"You're lying." She said, eyes narrow. He glanced away, not letting her see his eyes to cement the truth, and it only caused her to become more adamant. "I know you, Niklaus. I know when you push people away because your scared of what will happen if you let them close enough. But I'm here." She shuffled over to him, placing a hand on his cheek and gently turning his head to catch his eyes again. "I'm here, and I'm staying. And that's scary. I know. It scares me too. But I would rather be scared and stay with you rather than face a life where I didn't have you."_

_He met her eyes again, and she smiled faintly. "You're lying." She repeated softly._

_"How can you be so sure?" Klaus asked._

_Carolina traced her fingers across his eyebrows. "Raised eyebrows indicate interest and earnest, which might account for how much you want me to believe what you're trying to say. Too much, I might add." _

_Her wandering fingers traced lightly around his eyes. "Your eyes usually give you away the most. Not wanting to meet my eye indicated insincerity in your words. But there's more. Dilated pupils show that you are enamored with whom you are looking at."_

_Carolina let her hand slip down his neck to where his heart beat like a wartime drum against her palm. "And an elevated heart rate. You care deeply about what is going on."_

_Klaus raised his hand to cover hers, entwining their fingers. "Its not possible to hide everything from you." He admitted in a mutter._

_Carolina's own heart jolted and flipped, a smile gracing her lips when she realized he wasn't about to run away. "Kiss me," She murmured._

_He did as she asked. He could never deny her._

_._

She came to only moments later, shouting in wordless pain as fingers tugged shards of wood from between her ribs. Her vision swam before she focused on the worried eyes of Klaus.

"Sometimes I wonder why you won't just let me die." Caroline snapped, at a loss for anything else to say.

"Well that would be far too easy." He smirked, but his expression was far too relieved to be cruel. "Are there any more?"

"None that I can feel." She replied, easing herself up without his assistance. Her attention turned to his own shirt, riddled with bullet holes. "Though I'd guess that you have more than a few."

"Nothing I can't handle." Klaus shrugged.

She raised her eyebrows before digging her fingers into his stomach to fish the first wooden bullet out.

He hissed. "I have a feeling you actually enjoy this."

"Now what gave you that idea?" Caroline said sweetly letting the fragment drop to the floor before plucking a second out of him. "Though I'm finding surprising evidence of you actually having a heart in there." She pried his ribs a little further apart and he grimaced in pain. "My bad, its just a bloody rib."

"Oh, very funny, love." Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Quite amusing. Here I was, attempting to actually help you, while you make fun of my misery. And I thought we were friends."

Caroline flicked a golden curl from her face as she looked up into his pained eyes. "Well, you thought wrong then, didn't you." She quipped, tearing out the last bullet with a little more force than necessary. She licked the blood off her fingers as they stood up to survey the damage.

Bodies lay strewn on the floor amidst the broken wreckage, some partially burnt, others simply charred corpses. The sight of the carnage tore away the last layer of patience that Caroline had left.

"No." She said in a small voice, and Klaus looked at her. "No, no, no, no, _no!_" Her vision swam with red as she knocked the last standing table over, as she slammed her palm against the wall so hard that it left a small imprint of her hand, as she thrashed against muscular arms that suddenly wound around her, anchoring her to a warm chest.

Klaus waited for her body to lose its fight before he drew her into a proper embrace, showing a sliver of comfort for her. He would never show anyone mercy, but he would gladly show her comfort.

Caroline let herself be lost for that one moment, let herself relax in his hold and sigh. It had been so long since she had last been in any kind of loving embrace from him. So long since she had felt the comfort of his stubbled chin against the crown of her head and his calloused artist fingers stroke through her locks.

But there was a reason why this wasn't an everyday occurrence anymore. And it had everything to do with what had just taken place.

"This is on you." Caroline murmured into his chest once she had caught her breath and braced against any kind of tears that might have been shed. She raised her head to meet his eyes. "Now that you're in charge, these are your guys lying dead. _Your _guys." She stepped back slightly out of his arms, and shut her heart away at the fact that he let her leave his side so easily, without attempting to hold her against him. "If you're going to run this city, that had better mean something to you. Otherwise no one worth a damn is going to follow you."

Klaus studied her, his cold mask slipping back onto his face. "I was beginning to worry about you." He smirked. "I don't think I could have taken any more of this deferential nonsense."

She folded her arms and watched him with raised eyebrows, waiting for him to prove himself to her.

"Clearly I underestimated the faction." He admitted, gesturing to the ruins around them. "That won't happen again. But now that we have arrived at this point, now that they have come into our home, visited this upon our people, how would you counsel me to respond?"

Klaus held her blue gaze, and Caroline tried not to let her own eyes widen in surprise. He was asking for her advice? Not once in their closest hours together in the past three hundred years had he ever asked for her guidance. He had always trusted her judgment, but he had always done whatever he had considered best, and had never asked for her advice. It gave her an oddly heavy sense of power, almost akin to what she had gained through her control of the city.

Caroline smiled, despite herself. The expression was not unlike paintings of goddesses of war such as Enyo, a perfect pair to Klaus' Ares. "Let's go kill them all."

.

They could hear the faction quarrelling as they drew nearer to the bar. Caroline couldn't help but notice even through her lust for blood and revenge that Klaus had managed to ensure that the bar was vacated of other patrons. She had to give him credit for that – he respected her wish for secrecy and the protection of innocent lives.

The faction, on the other hand, were far from innocent. And they would pay for their crimes.

"I thought you called this meeting?" Father Kieran puzzled as Klaus and Caroline walked soundlessly into the bar, keeping to the shadows.

"The hell we did." The Sheriff scoffed, boisterous as always.

"Actually, I called it." Klaus announced as he walked into their midst. "It appears I made a grave error during our earlier conference. Caroline offered me wise council and I failed to heed it."

"I'm glad to hear you've learnt your lesson." The Sheriff leaned back in his chair, at ease.

Klaus grinned. "Oh, I wont be making that mistake again." He caught her eye. "Caroline, if you'll do the honors."

She smiled at him before speeding over to the Sheriff and stabbing him in the neck with the fork that lay on the table. He spluttered, his lifes blood ebbing out of him at an alarming pace.

Caroline turned and beamed at Klaus, a beacon of light in the dark. He paused, dazzled for a split second before returning the smile.

"Shall we?" He offered.

"After you." She insisted jovially.

Klaus launched on the faction without much further ado. Caroline fed on one of the members for a moment before sitting back, taking in the smell of fear and the expressions of terror. She had missed this. Much as she loved to keep her record pristine, there was nothing like giving into the monster that resided within her.

Klaus withdrew his fangs from a neck and caught her eye across the table, smiling darkly. She grinned back, aware of the fact that she probably was a gruesome mirror of him; blood staining her lips a deep ruby red, eyes shining brightly with a mix of bloodlust and adrenaline, desire hiding in their depths. The monster within her growled, wanting to feel him, to taste the blood on his lips.

A noise broke the moment as Father Kieran, the last standing human, stood by his chair and surveyed the wreckage around them.

"There he is." Klaus managed to tear his eyes away from Caroline and walk over to Father Kieran. "Our lone survivor. Such a sad day for our city." He tutted, clasping him by the shoulder. "Some of its best and brightest killed in a tragic boating accident on the Mississippi. Rather nasty explosion, I heard." His grin disappeared from his face as he eyed the man of the church with a calculating expression. "Now, what am I going to do with you?"

"I've known Kieran for a long time." Caroline piped up, cleaning her mouth with a handkerchief that she passed to Klaus wordlessly. "He's smart, and he's fair. I think he can do us more good alive than dead." She took in his dubious expression and sighed. "Besides, it wouldn't do anyone any good to kill a man linked to the last fragment of the human faction. Let alone linked to God."

Klaus chuckled. "You couldn't possibly believe in a higher being, love."

She shrugged. "I'd rather not anger anything that is more powerful than me."

"You angered me." He reminded her.

"Who said you were more powerful than me?" She taunted, before smiling winningly. "If anything, you're my equal in terms of power."

Klaus, who had been on the verge of growling at her angrily, now wanted to growl in response to her final words that hinted towards possession. They were equals, they deserved no less than each other, _mine_.

Father Kieran shifted slightly, and the electricity travelling between Klaus and Caroline died out for the moment.

"Very well." Klaus grated, turning back to Father Kieran. "Use this reprieve to remake your human faction."

"And how do you expect me to remake the Mayor?" He asked sharply.

"Well, surely there's a deputy Mayor." Klaus smirked. "Choose new leaders. Then we'll re-open negotiations."

They turned for the exit, but a figure in the doorway caught their attention.

"Sophie?" Caroline breathed, before her head burst. Or at least it felt as if it did. She sank to the floor, clutching her temples as jagged lighting bolts of pain sizzled through her mind.

"Every life comes with a price, Caroline." Sophie said darkly, holding out her hand to inflict pain.

Klaus roared, starting forward to kill the witch, but she flung out her other arm carelessly and broke his leg.

"You killed Agnes, you killed my sister." Sophie's breath hitched, but she calmed herself. "And now you'll pay with your life."

Father Kieran opened his mouth to speak, but Sophie shot him an icy look. "I'd say your business here is done, Father." She stepped aside to unblock the doorway. Father Kieran glanced guiltily down towards Caroline where she was trying to blink through the pain and rise to her feet. He exhaled wearily, before walking out the door and into the night.

Sophie turned back to Caroline. "Not painful enough? I can always change that." She twisted her fingers, and Caroline screamed before biting back the sound as best as she could.

Klaus' hand gripped Sophie's ankle and yanked hard, causing the witch to crash down to the ground. In an instant, his hands were around her throat, tightening slowly but surely.

"Two witches? That is what her life is worth?" He scoffed. "A thousand witches could die and it would still only make up a fragment of the price of her soul."

"Nik," Caroline gasped out as Sophie struggled pointlessly in his grasp. "Stop."

Klaus glanced over to her in confusion. "Why?"

For a moment, she could figure out if it was in question to her asking him to stop, or her using his nickname for the first time since they had begun this war. But she shook her head, and everything slid back into place. "Enough. Enough bloodshed." She gestured to the gore around them. "Sophie isn't like these rats that wanted to be paid off. She's only doing what's right for her people."

Klaus mulled it over for a moment, his grip not unyielding. Just as Sophie was turning purple, his grip loosened slightly.

"You had better run, witch, and run fast." He threatened. "And if any other witch even thinks about attacking Caroline again, tell them that she has strength beyond herself – because I will not think twice about killing anyone within the next week, the next day, or even the next hour." He let his hands drop and Sophie gasped a breath, massaging the dark bruises his hands had left around her throat as she sprinted from the bar without a second glance.

The pair sprawled on the floor, catching their breath.  
"Why is it that I'm always ensuring that you don't die?" Klaus mused aloud in the silence.

"Cause you can't live without me." Caroline half chuckled, before she caught herself. "Let's get out of here." She muttered, heaving herself up from the floor. She didn't bother to wait for his consent before she was out the door.

.

Klaus pulled out a seat for Caroline the moment they returned to the courtyard, sweeping his arm towards the small square table in a grand gesture while locking her with a gaze she couldn't ignore. She accepted the seat, watching him curiously as he took the chair on the corner next to her and plucked a small flask from his pocket.

"To our united front." He toasted, before taking a swig and offering it to her. She fixed his with an incredulous stare, and he lowered the bottle to the tabletop.

"This act of yours, the imitation of friendship." He chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, you played the part well enough. I should know, having played it myself." Klaus' dark blue eyes flashed up to meet hers. "But there was a time when the affinity between us was quite real."

Caroline's lips parted for a moment before she glanced away. "Perhaps. But then you got it in your head to take what I created." She gathered her strength and met his eyes once more. "When I picked up that coin I swore loyalty, Klaus. Not friendship. I'm holding up my end. The other one has to be earned."

Klaus leaned back in his chair, but distance did nothing to stop the power of his gaze. "Fair enough. You should probably know the whole story. I'm assuming that you and I are almost on the same page. Katherine directed me here, but my decision to join with the witches wasn't entirely my own. They had Hayley, a girl I was fooled to believe was the last of my father's bloodline."

"Yes." Caroline snapped, crossing her arms on the tabletop. "I know all about that wolf of yours."

His fingers lightly brushed her forearm, and sent a jolt of warmth shooting through her. She turned to find that he was closer than before.

"Yes, but you don't know what compelled me to side with them. It had been years since we had someone in our family so vulnerable, a girl who was lost and without family." He paused, looking down to where his fingers touched her bare arm that peeked out from underneath the rolled up sleeves of her jacket. "I didn't want to abandon another. I didn't want to repeat history."

Caroline bit her lip, but moved her arm away from his touch. "And that's meant to be a comfort? 'Hey, I abandoned you, but I didn't want to do the same to this random girl' – who by the way isn't even part of your family. And all this – the spying, the manipulation – that's just something you were forced into. Is that it? And what now? You feel kinda bad, but hey, its nothing personal. Is that it?"

Klaus sat back and took another swallow of whatever was in the flask. "I admit. I was jealous. I saw the empire you had created on your own – without me."

Caroline scoffed. "You're wrong, you know. You've seen this place – barely a thing has changed. You've heard what Marcel has told you – I made all this to create a safe haven for you to return to. I didn't create this place on your own – you were with me every step of the way."

Klaus caught her eye again, and she couldn't look away. He could do any action, say any word, but his eyes would always give him away. It was only there that she could see the full depth of his surprise, his regret, his want…

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "So, what now?"

"This community that you've built – you have their respect. Their love. I could rule them, but I cannot win them. Not without you." The glimmer of a smile appeared on Klaus' face. "So rule with me. Side by side. As equals."

As _lovers_.

The words remained unspoken, but floated as a suggestion in the air between them. Caroline realized she was holding her breath, and exhaled slowly. Klaus offered her the bottle. She locked eyes with him before accepting the drink, and raising the flask to her lips. It was a simple smooth bourbon, except for one thing.

She could taste him.

She could taste the lingering taste that was uniquely Klaus, mixed in with the traces of blood that still tinged his lips red.

And _oh, _she had missed it.

Caroline set down the bottle with a soft thump and licked her lips again to revel in the taste that lingered on them. Klaus' gaze flickered down to her lips, and she held her breath for a moment before she realized that nothing was going to happen. They were both too stubborn to give up the fight so easily.

So she changed tactics.

Caroline placed the flask back in his hands, her fingers tracing his for a moment.

"I'll consider it a challenge." She replied in answer to his question, repeating his words from earlier. She stood, stretching slightly, aware of his eyes skimming over each limb of hers. "I'll assume that my old room is free for my use then?"

He stood to meet her. "Wouldn't you prefer your usual room?" Klaus suggested silkily.

"But you will be there." Caroline played along.

He smirked. "Precisely my point."

Caroline tucked a stray curl behind her ear, watching him. This game of theirs was only half over, and he had a lot more to prove before she gave in entirely. They may have both won the battle for the throne in proving to be each others equal, but he still had to earn back her full trust in terms of personal relationships.

So instead of giving in to what she really wanted to do – which would be to rip his henley shirt in two and slam him against the wall – she rocked up on her toes to meet his ear.

"Goodnight, Nik." Caroline murmured, brushing a feather light kiss against his parted lips before stepping back and walking to her old room, aware of his gaze burning through her entire body as she went.

.

**THE END?**

_Outro_

Elijah and Katherine stepped back from the railing with a smile.

"I told you to trust me." Katherine couldn't help pointing out. "When I say I know Klaus, that also means I know Caroline."

"He isn't half as wrapped up in himself as I had expected." Elijah noted. "He knew that she was the secret to his success."

"And Caroline knows it too." Katherine thought back to when she had struck her deal with the blonde back in the attic of the church…_an Original for an Original. You help me take down Klaus, and I'll allow Elijah to walk free with you…_ "I did promise to help her take down Klaus."

"And you promised that you would help me reunite my family." Elijah said softly, running a hand through her hair and down her back to pull her closer to him. "And you did just that. Reunited us all."

.

_Caroline flew back down to the courtyard, crashing into Klaus as he stood where she had left him. Her mouth claimed his desperately in a kiss far fiercer than the one she had bestowed upon him only moments before. She had waited a century to even see him again, and she couldn't wait another lifetime to suck his bottom lip and nip his tongue and relearn all the little ways to make him grip her that bit harder and growl deep in the back of his throat. _

_The pair staggered back until Klaus sank onto the chair he had just vacated, and Caroline came tumbling after him into his lap, her legs going either side of his hips in a dance they had done so many times before. His arms held her safely, tightly, never letting more than an inch of space come between them. _

_"Mine," Caroline found herself gasping in answer to Klaus murmuring her name against her skin. "Mine."_

_Her fingers clenched through his curls, clenching tighter into _the bed sheets that billowed around her.

Caroline sat up, hair mussed. She had done the right thing, she had made the right decision. What she hadn't anticipated was the simple fact that Klaus' room was next door to her old bedroom, and that they shared a wall. Which meant they also shared every desire and every dream. Only this passionate dream was hers, she knew it.

How she didn't break through the wall was beyond her.

* * *

Hey!

It could have finished before the outro, but I couldn't help myself. ;)

Hope you've enjoyed!

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed. You guys are absolutely wonderful, and I write it just as much for you as I write for myself.

Special gorgeousness goes out to magically-muddled, who held my hand when I needed a hand holder, kicked me into gear when I needed a boost, and talked me through some of my more silly moments.

Also a shout out to madamepuddifootsteashop who invented the gif, thank you, you clever thing you!

Here I go, off to New York. I might continue this, but for now, all is (half) settled between the two Kings of New Orleans. :P

xx

ps.

* - 'dumb' in old fashioned literature implies an inability to speak, not 'dumb'...I just had to put this in here just in case anyone somehow thought it was meant to be offensive to Caroline/the girl in the poems intelligence, because it. is. not.

** - The poem at the start is 'Love Among the Ruins' by Robert Browning


End file.
